Pezzetta was recalled from AHL Toronto on Friday.
Pezzetta was sent to the AHL on Tuesday, but he'll rejoin the NHL club a few days later to provide additional depth ahead of a back-to-back set that includes a matchup against the Hurricanes on Friday and a game against the Senators on Saturday. Across two NHL appearances this year, Pezzetta has recorded nine PIM, six hits and a blocked shot while averaging 5:06 of ice time.
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Maple Leafs' Michael Pezzetta: Optioned to AHL
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Pezzetta was reassigned to AHL Toronto on Tuesday.
Pezzetta played in his first two games with the Maple Leafs after being promoted from the minors Thursday. The 28-year-old recorded nine PIM and six hits while averaging 5:06 of ice time during his stint with the big club. The Maple Leafs now have only 12 healthy forwards on their roster after sending Pezzetta to the minors.
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Maple Leafs' Michael Pezzetta: Recalled from AHL
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Pezzetta was summoned from AHL Toronto on Thursday.
Pezzetta has spent all season with AHL Toronto, garnering four goals, six assists and showing some feistiness with 52 PIM in 37 appearances. He is expected to see fourth-line minutes alongside Jacob Quillan and Calle Jarnkrok when the Maple Leafs face Anaheim on Thursday.
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Maple Leafs' Michael Pezzetta: On waivers
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Pezzetta was placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports Sunday.
Pezzetta joined the Maple Leafs after spending the vast majority of last year with the Canadiens as a healthy scratch. He logged only 25 games with Montreal last year and did not record a single point. The 27-year-old will now likely head to the AHL Toronto. It would be his first AHL game since 2021-22 if he ends up suiting up for the minor-league club.
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Maple Leafs' Michael Pezzetta: Gets two-year deal
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Pezzetta signed a two-year, $1.575 million contract with the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Pezzetta did not record a point with Montreal over 25 regular-season appearances last season but had 73 hits while playing in a minimal role, often serving as a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old will bring needed physicality and grit to Toronto's fourth line, but he could be in and out of the lineup in 2025-26 as he was with the Habs last season.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Ready to rock
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Pezzetta (lower body) will play against Calgary on Saturday, per Arpon Basu of The Athletic.
Pezzetta will return to action after missing the last six games due to an injury. He hasn't earned a point in 14 appearances this season while posting seven shots on goal and 36 hits. Pezzetta will replace Patrik Laine (illness) in Saturday's lineup.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Remains out Thursday
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Pezzetta (lower body) will miss Thursday's clash against Edmonton, per the NHL media site.
Pezzetta hasn't been in the lineup since Feb. 2. He has no points, 10 PIM and 36 hits in 14 appearances with the Canadiens this season. Pezzetta will be in the mix for a fourth-line spot once he's healthy, but there's no guarantee the 26-year-old will draw into the lineup even when he's an option.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Not playing Saturday
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Pezzetta (lower body) won't be in the lineup for Saturday's matchup versus Buffalo.
Pezzetta will miss his fourth straight game. He is day-to-day, but it remains unclear when he will return to the lineup. Pezzetta hasn't earned a point in 14 appearances this season while posting seven shots on goal and 36 hits.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Remains unavailable
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Pezzetta (lower body) won't be in the lineup for Tuesday's matchup against Carolina.
Pezzetta will miss his second straight game due to injury but participated in Tuesday's optional practice while wearing a non-contact jersey. He has appeared in 14 games this season and could continue to struggle to crack Montreal's lineup once he is healthy.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Not playing Saturday
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Pezzetta (lower body) won't play against Ottawa on Saturday, Patrick Friolet of RDS reports.
Pezzetta will miss at least one game after returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break with an injury. He hasn't earned a point in 14 appearances this season while posting seven shots on goal and 36 hits.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Not practicing Tuesday
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Pezzetta is not available for Tuesday's practice due to a lower-body injury and will be evaluated on a daily basis.
Pezzetta has been held off the scoresheet while averaging 5:37 of ice time through 14 appearances this season. If he's unable to play Saturday in Ottawa, Montreal will have to make a recall -- the club currently has 12 forwards and six blueliners on its roster.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Still battling for spot in lineup
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Pezzetta has been scratched in four of the Canadiens' last five games after sitting out Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Devils.
With Owen Beck up from AHL Laval, Pezzetta is once again mainly in the press box. Even when he plays, Pezzetta gets minimal ice time -- he's averaging just 5:37 per game this season. He's failed to record a point while logging only seven shots on net, 36 hits, 10 PIM and a minus-4 rating. The Canadiens don't seem intent on waiving him, but a path to significant ice time isn't open. Pezzetta is best left on the waiver wire in virtually all fantasy formats.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Gets playing time as fill-in
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Pezzetta has played in three straight games after suiting up in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Canucks.
Patrik Laine (illness) has been out for those games, giving Pezzetta a chance to suit up. While he's been listed on the second line officially, Pezzetta has logged an average of 4:46 of ice time across those three games, adding three shots on net and nine hits. He has no points and 18 hits through six outings this season, and he'll likely return to the press box once Laine is healthy enough to play again.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: No action since late October
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Pezzetta was scratched for the 18th consecutive game in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Capitals.
Pezzetta stayed on the roster over Joshua Roy when Patrik Laine returned to action Dec. 3 against the Islanders. Still, Pezzetta is functioning as a 13th forward and hasn't seen game action since Oct. 27 against the Flyers. He'd require waivers to be sent to AHL Laval for anything other than a conditioning stint. Pezzetta has played at least 50 games in each of the past three seasons, but it will be nearly impossible for him to reach that mark in 2024-25.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Serving as extra forward
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Pezzetta has played in three of the Canadiens' first 12 games after sitting out Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Penguins.
Pezzetta's three appearances so far correspond with Juraj Slafkovsky's absence due to an upper-body injury. Pezzetta has purely been an injury replacement at forward. He has no points, one shot on goal, nine hits, four PIM and two blocked shots. Aside from injuries, Pezzetta could eventually challenge Emil Heineman or Oliver Kapanen for a fourth-line spot. When in the lineup, Pezzetta offers hits and PIM, but he's never had more than 15 points in a single season.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Won't return to Tuesday's game
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Pezzetta (upper body) won't finish Tuesday's game versus the Red Wings.
Pezzetta will end the campaign with 12 points in 61 appearances. He rarely saw anything more than fourth-line minutes with the Canadiens this season. Pezzetta is under contract for 2024-25, so he should be in contention to once again fill a bottom-six spot.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Ends goal drought
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Pezzetta scored a goal on one shot in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Senators. He also had one block, three hits and five penalty minutes over 8:47 of ice time.
Pezzetta trailed on a rush and buried a loose puck past Joonas Korpisalo for the final tally of the game. It was Pezzetta's second goal of the season and ended a 24-game run without hitting the back of the net. By now, fantasy managers probably realize the fourth-line forward does not help as a scorer, but Pezzetta is tied for 10th in the NHL with 115 hits and tops the league with 26.29 hits per 60 minutes.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: On scoring burst
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Pezzetta logged an assist and two hits over 9:01 of ice time in Wednesday's 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia.
Pezzetta was still on the ice during a line change, and he and Juraj Slafkovsky combined to help on David Savard's goal. It was the third assist in the last four games and the fourth in the last seven for Pezzetta. He has one goal, seven assists, 29 shots, 105 hits, 14 blocks and 28 PIM through 29 games.
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Helps in win
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Pezzetta had an assist, two shots on net, two blocked shots and eight hits over 10:46 of ice time in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Stars.
Pezzetta made a nifty pass off the boards back to Johnny Kovacevic, whose slapshot rebounded to Kaiden Guhle for Montreal's second goal. It was the second helper in four games for Pezzetta, who's known more for his grit than enabling scoring chances. The eight hits raised his total to a team-high 91 over 26 games (7:46 TOI per game).
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Canadiens' Michael Pezzetta: Helps in loss
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Pezzetta had an assist, one blocked shot and two hits over 6:12 of ice time in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to Pittsburgh.
Pezzetta and his fourth-line mates had a strong start -- they were on the ice for Montreal's first two goals during the first period. That unit dogged the Penguins into a turnover that produced David Savard's unassisted marker, then Pezzetta and Jesse Ylonen assisted on Jayden Struble's tally. Pezzetta has four points (one goal, three assists) and 70 hits over 20 games.
