The Maple Leafs have signed free agent forward Michael Pezzetta to a two-year contract with an AAV of $787,500, league sources told The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.
The depth forward was a sixth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016 and has spent most of the past four seasons in Montreal.
Pezzetta, 27, is a hard-nosed, blue-collar type who finished fifth in the NHL in hits per 60 minutes last season (29.52).
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The Leafs are in need of offence, but the 6-foot-1, 219-pound Pezzetta shouldn’t be expected to provide much, if any, point production for the Leafs. The Toronto native did not log a single point in 25 games last season and has just 15 goals in 200 NHL games.
Pezzetta struggled for regular ice time under Martin St. Louis in Montreal last season. On a Canadiens team that made the playoffs, Pezzetta was a frequent healthy scratch and saw his ATOI drop to just 5:56. In 2023-24, when the Canadiens finished last in the Atlantic Division, Pezzetta played 61 games.
While the Leafs forward group remains in a state of flux with the dust not yet settled on free agency, it still feels likely Pezzetta could move in and out of the lineup depending on the opponent.
Leafs fans might remember Pezzetta from his full-throttle fight with Ryan Reaves in an April 2024 game against the Canadiens. Pezzetta delivered a hit to an unsuspecting David Kämpf and had to answer to Reaves.
Perhaps ironically, it feels likely Pezzetta could fill Reaves’ role in some form next season: a pugilist fourth-line player who can be expected to set the tempo physically.
Pezzetta had two fighting majors last season and seven fighting majors in 2023-24.
(Photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
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