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Maple Leafs Announce Unexpected Max Pacioretty Injury News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Devon A. Platana | Last updated Jan 20, 2025 10:50 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to increase their Atlantic Division lead when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

This evening marks the third encounter of the 2024-25 season between these rivals. The Maple Leafs have dominated the series so far, winning the first two encounters with the Lightning while outscoring the latter 10-5 on aggregate.

As his team looks to take a 3-0 series lead over Tampa Bay, Toronto head coach Craig Berube's lineup could be short one key veteran player.

The Maple Leafs public relations account announced that Max Pacioretty didn't participate in Monday morning's skate due to an upper-body injury.

Maple Leafs F Max Pacioretty will not skate this morning (upper body).
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 20, 2025

The Maple Leafs haven't ruled Pacioretty out of Monday's action just yet, but the fact that he didn't practice suggests that he likely won't suit up against the Lightning.

Although injuries have forced him to miss time this season, Pacioretty has been relatively healthy since the start of December. He may have picked up his current ailment during Saturday's 7-3 comeback win over his former team, the Montreal Canadiens.

The 36-year-old winger has been one of the Maple Leafs' more important depth players after moving to Toronto on a one-year deal ahead of the 2024-25 season. Since joining his former division rival, Pacioretty has gone on to record five goals and seven assists — all on even strength — while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per game.

Hopefully, Pacioretty's issue isn't serious, and he can rejoin his teammates sooner rather than later. The Maple Leafs need him to be healthy for their postseason run. His 1,012 career games and 730 total points between the regular season and playoffs is the type of experience that can help them challenge for the Stanley Cup.

For now, the Maple Leafs will focus on a third straight win against the Lightning while Pacioretty heals up. Tonight's Atlantic Division affair will air live on the NHL Network at 7:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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