"This is a new chapter in my life that I feel mutually, myself and the (Canadiens) organization, were ready for," the Vegas Golden Knights forward told reporters, including NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika, at his introductory press conference Wednesday. "I think they're going in a direction of a little bit of a rebuild or a reset, and I'm ready to move on."
The Canadiens traded Pacioretty to the Golden Knights early Monday morning for forward Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a 2019 second-round pick. It ended a year-long saga in which he was frequently in the rumor mill and reportedly nearly dealt to other teams multiple times.
After the trade, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said Pacioretty asked for a trade on more than one occasion last season, but as he and his agent, Allan Walsh, have done before, the 29-year-old winger attempted to clarify that Wednesday.
Asked if he requested a trade, Pacioretty said things can be misinterpreted. He has nothing but respect for Montreal and would have been willing to sign an extension there.
Pacioretty said he was grateful for the honor of serving as Canadiens captain but he thinks the deal sending him to the Golden Knights could help his play.
The 10-year veteran had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2017-18, managing only 17 goals and 37 points after five straight non-lockout campaigns of at least 30 goals and 60 points.
He was Montreal's captain for three seasons beginning in 2015-16.
The contract is a two-way deal that will pay him $700,000 at the NHL level and $150,000 in the American Hockey League in year one. In the second year, it becomes a one-way contract that will once again earn him $700,000.
Schmaltz was originally drafted in the first round, 25th overall, back in 2012 by the Blues. Since then, he has played just 22 games with the team over the past two seasons, tallying three assists.
However, he has put up solid numbers while playing in the AHL, including last season when he mustered five goals and 23 points in 31 games with the San Antonio Rampage.
"It's different if they had won championships. It's different if they had had a lot of success. They haven't done much - and I don't say that with any disrespect. Haven't been to the playoffs the last couple years. Things haven't worked out the way everybody would have liked them to, from what my understanding is."
Since drafting Tavares No. 1 overall in 2009, the Islanders have qualified for the postseason three times, winning one playoff series against the Florida Panthers in 2016.
"So, an aftermath? There's no such thing in my mind," Lamoriello, who joined the club's front office in May, continued. "What the players we have here should be thinking about is not making the playoffs last year, and that's what the goal should be. Teams win, not players. Individual players win some games, but teams win championships. And that's what we have to create."
Like Lamoriello, new head coach Barry Trotz is looking ahead to the future.
"I don't think with us we mentioned John once, other than when we get asked," Trotz, who signed on to be the Isles' bench boss in June for a reported five years at $4 million per season, told Cyrgalis. "We move on. We're not looking back, we're looking forward."
"The people that were brought in, they all have an element of one of two things," Trotz said. "They've either won, or they bring a high-character value to the group."
Over his tenure, the first-time GM remade the Lightning into a Stanley Cup contender, built out of keen draft choices, clever contracts, and a handful of major trades. While the top job in Tampa Bay now belongs to Julien BriseBois, it's not too soon to look back at the best moves made over Yzerman's time:
Dealing with Drouin
In January 2016, disgruntled forward and 2013 third-overall pick Jonathan Drouin revealed he'd requested a trade, citing frustration with a lack of playing time and the organization. But Yzerman refused to bow to public pressure, as Drouin was later demoted to the minors and subsequently suspended after failing to report.
Drouin eventually suited up for the AHL squad and was later recalled to the Lightning towards the end of the season. In the playoffs, he was one of Tampa Bay's top scorers, posting 14 points in 17 games. However, it wasn't enough to keep Drouin in Tampa Bay long-term. A deal finally materialized in June 2017, with the Lightning shipping Drouin to the Montreal Canadiens for young blue-liner Mikhail Sergachev.
Sergachev has particularly impressed in the early goings of his career. The 20-year-old wrapped up his rookie campaign with the Lightning in 2017-18, notching 40 points to finish second among freshmen defenders.
Signing Stamkos
Much like this offseason's John Tavares sweepstakes, Steven Stamkos experienced a similar showcase two summers ago. Despite big-time interest from heavy hitters like his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, Stamkos re-signed with the Lightning.
Not only did he stay in the fold for eight more years, Yzerman was also insistent on Stamkos agreeing to a more affordable salary structure, leaving more cap dollars for the GM to maneuver.
Stamkos is the face of the Lightning, and with a bout of injury challenges now behind him, he's poised to lead the team to its first championship in more than a decade. The Lightning captain finished with 86 points last season, good for 12th league-wide. Stamkos needs just 35 goals in 2018-19 to leapfrog Vincent Lecavalier for first all-time in franchise goals.
Drafting Kucherov
The Russian factor evidently wasn't a consideration at the draft tables for Yzerman, as the Lightning called Nikita Kucherov's name with the 58th pick in the 2011 draft.
Kucherov was dominant in his draft year, finishing with 58 points in 41 games with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, a KHL junior league club. He then exploded at the under-18s, leading the Russian squad with 21 points in just seven games.
It didn't take long for Kucherov to translate that success to the Lightning. The Russian sniper has seen his production climb across five seasons with Tampa. He notched a career-high 40 goals in 2016-17 and followed that up with a 100-point campaign last season. The 25-year-old recently inked a big-money deal that will pay $9.5 million per season beginning in 2019-20. But in the meantime, he'll continue to outperform the steal of a deal - a $4.8-million ticket - that Yzerman inked him to in 2016.
The Hedman contract
Imagine having the reigning Norris Trophy winner under contract for the next seven seasons for less than $8 million a year. Of course, it's not a dream for the Lightning, after Yzerman inked star blue-liner Victor Hedman to an eight-year, $63-million pact in July 2016.
While the salary cap has since increased, the Swedish defenseman will enter the coming campaign outside of the NHL's three highest-paid blue-liners, while only taking home a shade more than the likes of Shea Weber, Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Suter, and Aaron Ekblad.
Hedman has emerged as a reliable, dominant defenseman, regularly finishing in the upper echelon in ice time. While his effectiveness is never in question, Yzerman also took the extra strep to enhance his game further, building up his blue line and surrounding Hedman with other top minute munchers like Ryan McDonagh and Anton Stralman.
Bringing in Bishop
The net in Tampa Bay now belongs to Andrei Vasilevskiy, but it wasn't that long ago when the Lightning went through a carousel of netminders. Lightning fans will recall the likes of Dwayne Roloson, Mathieu Garon, and Mike Smith manning the Bolts' crease.
But at the 2013 trade deadline, Yzerman pulled off an intriguing deal with the Ottawa Senators, parting with forward Cory Conacher, who put up 24 points in 35 games in his first season with the Lightning, for goaltender Ben Bishop. Conacher's scoring touch didn't keep up in Ottawa, as he later bounced to two other teams and had several stints in the minors - interestingly enough, Conacher is now back with the Lightning on a two-way deal.
As for Bishop, he solidified the Lightning between the pipes and offered the most consistent presence in Tampa Bay's crease since the days of Nikolai Khabibulin. Bishop went on to spend four more seasons with the Lightning, becoming a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist who guided the team to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. Though since departed, Bishop still ranks first in franchise wins.
Honorable mention - Inking undrafted free agents
While not nearly as remarkable as the five major moves outlined above, it's still worth acknowledging that Yzerman went beyond the more traditional avenues of trades and free agency to acquire assets.
The former Lightning GM was especially active when it came to recruiting undrafted free agents, kicking things off in March 2011 with the signing of Tyler Johnson, who had been passed over after attending camps for two other teams. With the Lightning, Johnson has developed into an effective No. 2 pivot whose 72 points tied Stamkos for the team lead just four seasons ago.
But the signings didn't stop there. There's also Yanni Gourde, who agreed to terms in March 2014 and became a full-time player with the Lightning this past season. Gourde appeared in all 82 games, posting 64 points and even picked up a few votes in the Calder Trophy race. New GM BriseBois hopes Yzerman left him one more gift in Alex Barre-Boulet, a 21-year-old who led the QMJHL in scoring with 116 points last season. In March, Barre-Boulet signed with the Lightning as an undrafted free agent.
Shaw split last season between the Anaheim Ducks and the Montreal Canadiens after being claimed on waivers by Montreal in January.
The 25-year-old was a third-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2011, and he suited up for 53 games with them in 2015-16 before joining the Ducks the following season.
"This change is important for me, (and it) will allow me to spend more time with my family," the former Tampa Bay Lightning general manager and new senior adviser told reporters, including FOX Sports Sun's Caley Chelios, at a Tuesday press conference that made the switch in title official.
Lightning owner Jeff Vinik told Yzerman he respected his decision to step down and agreed it was the right one for the former GM and his family, according to CBS Tampa's Ryan Bass.
The distance between the Yzerman family's home and his job in Tampa Bay undoubtedly played a role in the move.
Yzerman all these years has been commuting from Detroit to Tampa Bay, his family had stayed behind in Michigan. It takes a toll. I can't say I saw this coming at all, but you can certainly understand the reason why. https://t.co/TB6a5sIFIn
Yzerman said he plans to serve as senior adviser for at least a year, but when asked about his plans beyond that, he said he doesn't know, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.
He has one year remaining on his contract with the Lightning, and spent the last eight seasons as the club's GM after being hired in May 2010.
Julien BriseBois will take over as general manager after serving as assistant GM for eight years.
