Max Pacioretty suddenly pulled from Leafs’ lineup minutes before the game!

Veteran forward Max Pacioretty did not like how he perform in his last game with Toronto. And the Maple Leafs didn’t either.
And so, with William Nylander being able to suit up and play on Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles, it was Pacioretty that was made a healthy scratch.

Earlier this week, Pacioretty had said this about playing in Toronto and how things have been going at the start of the 2024-25 season:

“It’s been a lot. It’s never easy to change teams. And under these circumstances, even more so. I liked my first game. Second game was pretty good. Didn’t like my last game. I want to start trending in the right direction and build some games together.”

Since the start of the weekend, an illness has been going around the team’s dressing room, as it was confirmed by head coach Craig Berube. John Tavares missed practice earlier this week with an illness, but has been back with the team since Tuesday. Nylander was dealing with the virus, and was a game-time decision against the Kings.

Pacioretty, who has recorded just one goal as a Maple Leafs, has just the one point in three games. He signed a one-year contract with a base salary of $873,770 after cracking the Maple Leafs’ roster on a professional tryout agreement. He had four goals and 23 points in 47 games with the Washington Capitals last season.

This is the Leafs' lineup against Los Angeles: