NHL
Florida looks to add to their forward department by landing Max Pacioretty
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has been a dealer as of recent. Trading Alex Galchenyuk and Tomas Plekanec was only the beginning of Montreal’s fire sale. Now up for bidding is their captain, forward Max Pacioretty. This time, the Florida Panthers are looking to win this auction.
Max Pacioretty is an excellent forward, finishing five straight seasons with 60+ points from 2013 to 2017. Although he finished last season with 37 points, he only played 64 games. In addition, Pacioretty is 29 years old, which means he has a lot left in the tank and could seen as a long reliable asset for the team.
Pacioretty could also be seen as a teacher for Florida’s young core. As previously mentioned, “Patches” was a captain for Montreal, so leadership qualities are clearly shown.
Florida’s interest in “Patches” dates back to the last season’s trade deadline. However, the move never occurred and Pacioretty stayed in Montreal for the rest of the season. In addition, Florida only pulled the trigger on one trade throughout the entire deadline. That trade was for forward Frank Vatrano, who produced with eight points in the final 16 games for the Cats.
Today, the Panthers are in talks with the Habs about landing the “Pac Man”. After a deal with the Los Angeles Kings fell through, the Cats want to pounce on this opportunity. However, Florida claims the asking price is too high right now. So if a trade were to happen, there may be more pieces involved.
Furthermore, Florida has about $8 million in cap space. Pacioretty’s current deal is worth about $6 million and only has one year left. For the Cats, this deal can take a huge blow to their cap, unless they can have Montreal retain some salary. Additionally, if Pacioretty produces at a high level next season, he may look for a bigger contract.
