Leafs have hope of healing

Pacioretty tryout amounts to a low-risk, high-ceiling shot to add scoring

- DAVE FESCHUK

By this point in the proceedings, it would have been easy enough for Max Pacioretty to gracefully hang up the skates.

In a career that has spanned most of 16 seasons, the 35-year-old from Connecticut has accomplished plenty. He has scored 330 goals in 902 regular-season NHL games. He has been the captain of the Montreal Canadiens. He has amassed an estimated $63 million (U.S.) in salary.

So after tearing his right Achilles tendon twice in the span of about six months a couple of seasons ago, it was only understandable he would question the point of persevering.

“There was a good, solid two, three months where I was ready to stop playing,” he told the Washington Post last season, speaking of his rehab from his second Achilles injury.

Pacioretty will bring his push to continue playing to Maple Leafs training camp next week. Though he’ll attend on a professional tryout, Pacioretty’s agent, Allan Walsh, posted on social media that there’s an expectation Pacioretty will sign a contract with the Leafs before the regular-season opener. Precisely what he’ll be able to contribute to Toronto’s cause isn’t easy to say.