Michael Pezzetta knows he’s no lock to make the Maple Leafs. But that doesn’t make him any less happy to have signed with the team he grew up cheering for.
“Obviously, I’m super excited to sign in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½,†Pezzetta said Wednesday. “It’s a lifelong dream of mine. They have a great hockey team. I have to make sure that I’m ready to go come camp time, because I know it’s not a given that I have a spot.
“I’m going to make sure that I can do everything I can to earn that spot.â€
Pezzetta is 27 years old, a ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ native, and posted a picture of himself in Leafs gear as a kid.
“Mats Sundin was my favourite player. So I loved watching him play,†he said. “We were a Leafs household. It’s hard not to cheer for the Leafs when you’re from ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.â€
He might not be the most excited in the Pezzetta household.
“I’m insanely fired up but my family might be even more over the top. My mom’s super excited that I get to stay home. It’s been a while. So many people messaged me in the last the day and a half. It’s just surreal to think that it’s a possibility I get to put the sweater on. I’m just really grateful for the opportunity.â€
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A sixth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, the former Sudbury Wolves captain spent three-plus seasons in the minors, mostly in the AHL, before emerging as an NHL regular in 2021. It wasn’t his scoring that got him to the NHL.
“The style of game that I play is different from a lot of the guys, and hopefully that can be an X factor,†Pezzetta said.
He’s physical and willing to fight, just the kind of player Leafs coach Craig Berube likes to have around.
“He’s got a skill set in terms of his physicality,†GM Brad Treliving said. “Good foot speed, able to get in on the forecheck, an excellent teammate. Those are the sort of the boxes he checks, and we’re happy to have them with us.â€
The Leafs added another depth centre Wednesday in Vinni Lettieri, who signed a one-year contract worth $775,000. The 30-year-old split the 2024-25 season between the Boston Bruins, recording three goals and two assists in 26 games, and their AHL affiliate, Providence.
Pezzetta signed for two years, at $812,500 per year, when free agency opened Tuesday. The Leafs also signed forwards Travis Boyd and Benoit-Olivier Groulx and defenceman Dakota Mermis.
Monday saw the Core Four era that began with unprecedented hope end in a debacle of managerial haplessness.
Monday saw the Core Four era that began with unprecedented hope end in a debacle of managerial haplessness.
The Pezzetta deal was a bit of financial security for a player who realistically sees himself on the fringe of the lineup. He played just 25 games last year, partly because of an undisclosed injury but also because Montreal was a better team, with better players, than when he broke in.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ will be the same. He fits more or less the same role as Steven Lorentz, who just re-signed for three years ($1.35 million per year). But he could also be the team’s heavyweight champion if Ryan Reaves, 38, finds himself elsewhere.
The key for Pezzetta is to earn the coach’s trust.
“I think a lot of my game is being hard to play against, being someone that is defensively responsible, someone a coach can trust,” he said. “Then you can go out there and you can change the game with a big hit or a good forecheck, make a good play and really change the energy.â€
If he can earn a regular spot in the lineup, Pezzetta could win over Leafs Nation quickly. He has personality; he rode his stick, Tiger Williams style, when he scored in a shootout against Buffalo.
“I got the game-winner and kind of blacked out. It just happened,†he said. “I was just having fun, living my dream every day.”Â
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