The NHL off-season is a period of greetings and farewells. No team escapes free agency unscathed, and the Montreal Canadiens are no different. There were the additions of Noah Dobson, Zack Bolduc, Sammy Blais and Kaapo Kahkonen. And many players that have been here for years are gone: Cayden Primeau, Logan Mailloux, Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak. And a player who signed with the Canadiens' biggest rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Michael Pezzetta.
This wasn't really a big surprise. Pezzetta only played 25 games this past season, and that wasn't due to injuries. He scored 0 goals and 0 points, while recording 24 penalty minutes, and averaging 5:56 minutes per game. He didn't dress for any playoff games.
Yes, it was a very rough year for Pezzetta. Not only did the offence disappear, but Pezzetta also struggled with timely penalties. It seemed like every time he drew back into the lineup, an untimely, early penalty would knock him back out again.
So, it was clear the team and player were heading to a mutual breakup, and Pezzetta, having been born in Toronto, looked to his childhood team. And the Maple Leafs answered.
The Leafs have never been able to shake the reputation of being soft, especially in the playoffs. Between the style of hockey they play, the comments from the media, and their inability to produce in the playoffs, the Leafs have always looked to add grit to their lineup, whether it's from Wayne Simmonds or Ryan Reaves.
Well, toughness is something that Pezzetta has in spades.
The Lost Art of the Goon
The term "goon" has always carried an air of derisiveness and affection in equal spades. The goon was always the fan favourite and the opponent fans' least favourite. Movies and TV shows are made about goons. But they are also seen as meat-headed, less skilled at the fastest game on ice, and more recently, a redundancy in the league. The goon is a vestigial limb on hockey teams, one that has been disappearing year after year.
And that isn't quite a terrible thing. The league is safer than it ever has been. Mandatory helmets and visors protect the head area, and the league has cracked down on dangerous hits. This includes a rule where helmets must remain on during fights, something that protects players' heads but makes fighting a lot more undesirable.
But still, there is a correct way to do it. The Canadiens have the Xhekaj brothers, two players that seem to have stepped right off the screen from Slap Shot, and have found great success in their young careers.
Michael Pezzetta is in the same breed as the Xhekajs, and it is sad to see him go, even though his last season was so rough.
I mean, just look at him. The flow, the stache, everything. His look is immaculate, and he will be missed if only for his looks. And he always seemed to be having a good time. Smiling every time the cameras were on him, and just having this joie de vivre around him that was infectious.
But despite putting up some bad penalties this past season, Pezzetta has generally been a clean player. He has been suspended once in four years. There is a way to be an enforcer, and Pezzetta knows how to do it.
And that is what Toronto is getting in Pezzetta. He has never played a full 82-game season, and likely won't in Toronto. But that isn't what they got him for. Pezzetta is a player who can be slotted in for instant energy and a physical edge.
And honestly, I will miss that with Michael Pezzetta. This isn't a move that is going to lose the Canadiens the Cup or win the Toronto Maple Leafs the Cup, but it's still sad to see him go.
Most nights you won't notice he's gone, but every once in a while you'll be reminded. Whether it's seeing that flowing hair above a now blue uniform, a scrum you know he'd be in the middle of, or a camera panning to the press box and the notable lack of a big cowboy hat there, you will notice he's gone. Say what you will, the guy's memorable, and he will be missed.