Maple Leafs have deal in place for Max Pacioretty.

Veteran National Hockey League forward Max Pacioretty looked about as good as could have been expected in his first preseason game as a Toronto Maple Leaf on Sunday night, but there were legitimate concerns about whether or not he had been too good.

Those concerns stemmed from the fact that Pacioretty is currently unsigned and is instead on a professional tryout offer, and a PTO would in theory leave him the option of signing elsewhere if a deal didn't materialize with the Maple Leafs. Those concerns may have been dismissed on Monday morning however, with NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shedding some light on the Pacioretty situation in Toronto.

Friedman revealed on his most recent podcast that he believes Pacioretty and the Maple Leafs already have a deal in place.

"He's on a PTO, it's not a PTO," revealed Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast. "I think there's a deal there."

Friedman's convictions were only amplified by his brief interactions with Pacioretty, with the insider doubling down on his belief that Pacioretty and the Maple Leafs already have some kind of an agreement in place.

"I am now more convinced than ever... it's not a PTO," said Friedman. "He has a deal."

So why hasn't Pacioretty signed on the dotted line if that is indeed the case? Well the insider has a theory for that as well.

"What my theory is, is that they are gonna see where their roster is and they are gonna give him a salary that works their cap," revealed Friedman. "I think this is a PTO in name only."

Friedman believes that the Maple Leafs will wait to see which players get sent down to the minors, which players are waived, wait for any potential injuries before the start of the season and, once all of that has been cemented, they will then turn to cap wizard Brandon Pridham to make Pacioretty's deal work around their cap situation at that time.

That is of course terrific news from the Maple Leafs perspective, as Pacioretty was arguably their best player in an ugly preseason loss on Sunday night.