Toronto Maple Leafs sign Michael Pezzetta, two years $787.5K AAV

The signing

The 27-year-old has played his whole career with the Montreal Canadiens. Pezzetta is coming off a 25-game season where he did not record a single point. However, the Maple Leafs are likely not acquiring him to put up points.

Last season, the Maple Leafs looked noticeably more “playoff-ready” under Craig Berube’s first season. Pezzetta is the prototypical Craig Berube player – he’s physical, a relentless back checker, and plays the game with energy. With the recent Steven Lorentz signing, Pezzetta will fit nicely in a hard-hitting bottom six.

At $787.5K, Pezzetta is not going to suit up for the Maple Leafs every game, but will likely appear in games to give other players a break or fill in for injured players. The playoffs are a war of attrition, and Pezzetta does give some flexibility when injuries invariably pop up during a deep playoff run.

More to come

General Manager Treliving still has work to do to address the holes on the roster. With just over $5M in space, the Maple Leafs need to add some scoring to the bottom-six, and ideally obtain another top-six winger. David Kampf’s tenure with the Maple Leafs appears to be over, and could use his cap space to make another signing.