Leaf notes: Mac Pacioretty ready to roll after years of injury rehab

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Of all the Leafs champing at the bit in camp to see game action, Max Pacioretty was the most anxious on Sunday morning. 

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He hasn’t had a September dedicated solely to season prep in years as his summers were spent in long rehab sessions, primarily to do with his torn Achilles tendon. 

“I’ve said it from day one, I have a lot to prove,” Pacioretty stated. “I haven’t had a training camp in about four years or so, with injuries and Covid.  

“You realize how important camps really are. It’s a great lesson for down the road or for anyone else, a great time to shake out the rust and work with teammates. I think it’s going to pay off. I feel amazing. I feel good, but never realized I’d feel this great.” 

Coach Craig Berube has paid extra attention to the 35-year-old through the first week, and summarized “he looks really strong, the normal Patch I’ve seen in the past. In camp he’s been physical, too, which is good to see. He’s got a very good shot, we all know that, but his skating looks good to me, which is a good sign.” 

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 RUSSIAN DRESSING 

Pacioretty is among the Leafs trying to make life a little easier on Russian rookie Nikita Grebenkin, who is working on his English and not yet comfortable to do interviews. 

“He knows I have a little bit of a Russian background with my wife’s family,” said Pacioretty, whose partner Katia is the younger sister of former NHLer Maxim Afinogenov. “I know a bit of Russian. I’ve tried to talk to him a lot in the scrimmage.” 

Despite their 13-year age gap, there has been line chemistry. 

“I didn’t know about him until I came,” Pacioretty said. “Those Russian guys always have a lot of skill. He’ surprised me a lot in scrimmages.” 

When Grebenkin came out for warmup, there was a welcoming sign in cyrillic.

TIME FOR TIMMINS  

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Conor Timmins was the talk of training camp early last year for racking up six points in three games, before a lower body injury and a id-season bout of mononucleosis disrupted his trajectory and held the defenceman to 25 games and zero playoff action. 

On a blueline that added both size and skill this summer, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jani Hakanpaa, his work is cut out for him this month to earn regular duty. The right shooting Timmins has a year left on a $1.1 million US deal.   

“There is a lot of depth and guys are working on their own games,” Timmins said of his camp takeaways to date. “I wanted to work more on checking and being a bit more simple with pucks, but overall, rounding out my game.  

“I think I got a lot better in (checking) last year and once you see improvement you want to work on it. There are a lot of tips you can pick up on from the older guys and the coaches, 1-on-1 battles, box-outs, things like that.” 

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Berube knows his six starters on opening night in Montreal on Oct. 9 won’t stay healthy all year and said earlier he’s already paying close attention to the depth chart to assess who might be needed by December.       

KULE AND THE GANG 

The Senators’ 38-year-old winger Nikolay Kulemin, who spent the last six years in the KHL, would be a stranger to most Leafs, but not Morgan Rielly. They were teammates in Rielly’s rookie year of 2013-14, before Kulemin was traded to the Islanders. Kulemin is attempting an NHL comeback on a PTO. His career high was 30 goals in Toronto in 2010-11. 

“I remember him having that imposing type of stature,” Rielly said. “So good for him (trying to revive his career. I wish him nothing but the best.” 

LOOSE LEAFS 

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Among former Leafs employees/players in the Sens’ hockey department, GM Steve Staios, hockey operations boss Dave Poulin and coach Travis Green … The Leafs and Sens have a rematch Tuesday in Ottawa … Fans had to negotiate construction through the 100 level of SBA on Sunday, continuing into regular season. At event level, the new private suite configuration that will eventually see the Leafs walk past fans in a viewing area is also under wraps …  Forward Kieffer Bellows, the former Isles’  first rounder who got his career back on track last year scoring 27 for the Marlies, was in the lineup for his new Nashville team against the Panthers … A reminder there are two Matt Murrays in the league, Toronto’s and the Alberta-born journeyman currently with the Preds … Former Leaf general manager Gerry McNamara turned 90 on Sunday.  

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