Pezzetta ready to go to war for hometown Maple Leafs
Published
Michael Pezzetta is ready to go to war for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 6-foot-1 centre elected to join the club as an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday, signing a two-year, $1.63 million deal.
Pezzetta, 27, was born and raised in Toronto and is excited to wear the blue and white sweater.
"I'm a Toronto boy coming home," Pezzetta told TSN1050's OverDrive on Tuesday. "Just getting the opportunity to put the Leafs sweater on is something I dreamed about my whole life. I was in my [childhood] room today at my parent's house and I got a picture on my wall of [Maple Leafs legend] Mats Sundin. I was just thinking how cool it is to get the opportunity to work hard and put on this jersey,"
Pezzetta is joining the team at a time where expectations are high, and the roster is in flux. The Maple Leafs are coming off a season that saw them win the Atlantic Division with a 52-26-4 record but fail to overcome the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round, losing in seven games.
The Maple Leafs have made the playoffs in each of the past nine seasons, but have only won two playoff series during that time and haven't been past the second round.
The roster also had a dramatic shakeup on Tuesday when star winger Mitch Marner left the team via a sign and trade to join the Vegas Golden Knights.
Marner led the Maple Leafs in scoring last season with 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games, but was criticized for his lack of production at key times during the playoffs.
Pezzetta, having grown up in Toronto and playing his entire NHL career in the hockey-mad city of Montreal, understands exactly what he's walking into when joining the Maple Leafs.
"Anytime you play for a big market, [whether it's] Toronto or Montreal, there's expectations and responsibilities," said Pezzetta. "When you put that sweater on and go on the ice, there's a responsibility to play as hard as you can and give it everything you got.
"It's about winning at the end of the day and bringing a Cup to your city. That's something I'm ready and excited for."
Drafted 160th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, Pezzetta played 200 games in Montreal, recording 15 goals and 38 points.
Pezzetta only appeared in 25 games last season, failing to record a point as he struggled to stay in the lineup.
However, he has gone to war against the Maple Leafs numerous times during his four seasons with the Canadiens, including getting into a couple of fights with new teammate Ryan Reaves.
After switching sides of one of the NHL's greatest rivalries, Pezzetta admits it's going to feel strange when the two teams meet to start the 2025-26 campaign, but has decided he's going to make his presence known.
"I decided to run them all through the glass," Pezzetta spoke of his old teammates. "I'm definitely not a player who is making a lot of friends out there. When you go to war, you're just trying to do your job, [so] it'll be fun and there's no hard feelings."