Michael Pezzetta makes honest admission regarding his past fight with Ryan Reaves after joining Maple Leafs

Former Montreal Canadiens winger Michael Pezzetta is now part of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He signed a 2-year, $1,625,000 contract with the Leafs in the 2025 free agency.

Speaking on "The JD Bunkis Podcast" on Tuesday, Pezzetta spoke about his past fights with Ryan Reaves. Pezzetta said Reaves won both fights and is a very technical fighter.

“He’s a really technical fighter, both times he got the upper hand in those fights,” Pezzetta said about his fight with Reaves.

Their most recent fight happened on April 6, 2024. It started after Michael Pezzetta hit Leafs center David Kampf. Reaves stepped in and landed several punches. Pezzetta tried to fight back but was overmatched and lost his balance. Officials ended the fight after Reaves held him down.

Pezzetta admitted it's tough to fight players with more experience. Pezzetta also said he respects Reaves for staying in the league so long.

“He’s definitely a good fighter," Pezzetta said. "he’s been doing it for so long, and it’s hard to fight guys who have been doing it for a while because they’re just a lot more technical than myself.

"He definitely stacks up close to the top, strong guy, he’s a guy I respect a lot, he’s gone through it, he’s played a lot of games and he’s stuck around for a long time, so, lots of respect for guys like that.”

Michael Pezzetta played 25 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season. The 6-foot-1 forward has played four seasons with the team. He has scored 38 points in 200 NHL games with Montreal.

Michael Pezzetta fulfilled his dream by joining the Maple Leafs

Michael Pezzetta also shared the story behind his move to Toronto during free agency. When Pezzetta learned he had a chance to join the Maple Leafs, he found it hard to refuse.

“My agent was talking to Toronto come free agency,” Pezzetta said, via Yard Barker. "It happened fast, they had some chats ...once I found out I had the opportunity to go there, it was kinda hard to pass up on that. Being a hometown kid, it’s been a dream to put that sweater on my whole life,"

Pezzetta is from Toronto, and he was picked 160th overall by Montreal in the 2016 NHL Draft. He had to wait until the 2021-22 NHL season, six years after getting drafted, to debut in the league.