Speaking at the Montreal Canadiens annual golf tournament on Monday, general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters that Pacioretty requested a trade last season on more than one occasion, according to TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.
Bergevin added that while Pacioretty requested a move, he didn't disclose to the 29-year-old that he had intentions of trading him, according to TSN's John Lu.
Canadiens owner Geoff Molson backed Bergevin's claim, refuting previous assertions by Pacioretty and his agent that he did not ask for a trade, and that he wanted to be a Canadien long term.
On Friday, Pacioretty said on TSN690 he did not ask for a trade (his agent, @walsha, said Max never requested trade a week prior). This morning, Habs GM and owner said Max did ask for a trade. So, that’s that.
Meanwhile, with Pacioretty no longer in the picture, Bergevin says the team will take a few weeks to decide on a new captain, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Pacioretty is coming off a down year with only 17 goals, but he's otherwise been remarkably consistent throughout his career. Over the last seven seasons, he's averaged 33.6 goals, 65 points, and nearly 300 shots per year over an 82-game average.
Early in Pacioretty's career, he earned the top-line left wing spot on the Montreal Canadiens and never let it go. In Vegas, the top unit of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, and Reilly Smith isn't likely to be split up, leaving Pacioretty with a reduced second-line role.
That could result in less ice time, likely bringing his shot total down. However, the 29-year-old won't be the primary focus of his opponents, which will lead to easier matchups. He'll also probably get a chance to line up alongside free-agent acquisition Paul Stastny, who would be the best playmaking center Pacioretty has ever played with by quite a wide margin.
As for special teams, the Golden Knights' power play was solid in 2017-18 while ranking 11th. It's possible Pacioretty, a five-time 30-goal scorer, replaces Alex Tuch on the top unit, but it seems more likely he anchors the second power-play line alongside Stastny, Erik Haula, Colin Miller, and possibly former Hab Daniel Carr.
A return to his 35-goal form with around 60 points and 275 shots is within reach for Pacioretty. He can safely be selected between rounds five and seven in standard leagues, depending on the size of your league. In banger leagues, which have hits as a category, he can be taken a round earlier thanks to Pacioretty's willingness to throw his weight around (118 hits in 2017-18).
Tatar's ceiling is capped in Montreal's fantasy wasteland
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
Tatar has reeled off four straight 20-goal seasons, and while he may continue that streak in Montreal, prospective fantasy owners shouldn't expect a whole lot more. He should grab a first-line role with the Habs and replace Pacioretty. But he won't be paired with a legitimate center, making 25 goals his likely ceiling.
Tatar doesn't contribute in many other fantasy categories outside of goals. He should contend for the green jacket this year (the league's worst plus/minus), and needs to be a late-round pick in deeper leagues, and nothing more than a streaming option in standard 10- or 12-team leagues.
However, there is still fantasy value to be extracted from this trade for the Habs. Suzuki, the 13th overall pick in 2017, has racked up 196 points over the past two seasons with the OHL's Owen Sound Attack. If he continues to develop, the 19-year-old could become a top-two center in Montreal within a year or two, making him a solid late-round pick in dynasty leagues that carry NA spots.
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters Monday that the trade was contingent on Pacioretty signing a long-term deal in Vegas, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Talks between Pacioretty's camp and the Golden Knights are already underway, reports TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.
For Golden Knights GM George McPhee, the clause in the deal was necessary. He gave up a first, second, and a third-round pick to acquire Tomas Tatar at last year's trade deadline, then flipped Tatar, top prospect Nick Suzuki, and a second-round pick to get Pacioretty, whose contract expires after this season. Without this contingency, McPhee would be giving up a haul for a rental player.
What Pacioretty's extension will look like remains to be seen, but there are a few interesting comparable contracts that were signed this summer. Evander Kane, 27, signed a seven-year, $49-million deal with the San Jose Sharks in May. James Neal, 31, inked a five-year contract in Calgary worth $5.75 million annually. James van Riemsdyk, 29, returned to the Philadelphia Flyers on a five-year, $35-million contract. Pacioretty's extension could potentially fall somewhere between these three.
Joel Bouchard was looking for a response that never came.
The bench boss of the AHL's Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens' minor-league affiliate, handled the coaching duties for the Canadiens as part of the NHL Rookie Showdown this weekend.
But the first two games of the tournament, which precedes main camp and included the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, left Bouchard seeing red after two of his players were carted off the ice.
Canadiens prospect Jake Evans was stretched out of Friday's contest after taking a hit from the Senators' Jonathan Aspirot. A similar incident occurred Sunday when defenseman Jarret Tyszka was wheeled off the ice after he was driven into the end boards by Maple Leafs forward Hudson Elynuik.
A lack of response from teammates to the first hit left Bouchard upset, while the second incident in such quick succession only added to his anger.
"We didn't do anything both times," Bouchard told Kelsey Patterson of The Canadian Press. "Enough is enough. I gave them a chance the first time, now they're going to learn. The guys on the ice, nobody went to see the other team. Unacceptable. My players were warned.
"I'm not asking for my players to fight, but you have to stand up for one another. This is the Montreal Canadiens. I'm not promoting violence, but we're not going to get walked all over either."
Both players were hospitalized following the hits - Evans has since been released - while the incidents became the focal point of the tournament for the Canadiens, who dropped both contests by a combined 8-2 score.
Bouchard, a Montreal native, is entering his first season with the Rocket after spending the past three years as head coach of the QMJHL's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
Hockey's become a young man's game, with more and more players entering the NHL while they're still physically developing.
Elias Pettersson, the fifth overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 2017, is one such case. The Swedish import brings hulking height at 6-foot-2, but a slender figure that weighs in at just over 160 pounds.
But it's his skill, not size, that makes Pettersson a dominant force, as he told NHL.com's Kevin Woodley: "It isn't my weight that got me here ... My style of hockey is not to have big muscles."
That much was evident last season when the 19-year-old finished with 56 points in 44 games to lead his Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League in scoring. He then pocketed another 19 points in 13 playoff appearances en route to the championship and MVP honors.
Pettersson's year also marked the best junior-aged season in the SHL since Kent Nilsson's 53-point campaign more than 40 years ago. As he climbed the ranks, Pettersson passed the likes of Swedish hero Peter Forsberg (48 points) and Canucks legends Daniel and Henrik Sedin (45 and 47 points, respectively).
He appears ready for prime time, as he shifts his game to Vancouver, his second straight pro season as a rookie. On a rebuilding Canucks squad, Pettersson is expected to play in the top six and could see minutes alongside other budding young stars like Brock Boeser and Adam Gaudette.
Don't expect Pettersson to buckle under the pressure of playing in a Canadian market. He's already exceeded expectations in rewriting the SHL's record books. He's now tasked with repeating those exploits in Vancouver, as the Canucks rookie is considered a favorite to capture the Calder Trophy in 2018-19.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald will be out for approximately six weeks after suffering a lower-body injury during an offseason workout, the club announced on Sunday.
MacDonald averaged the third-most ice time among Flyers blue-liners during the 2017-18 season, tallying 21 points and 131 blocked shots in 66 games.
MacDonald's absence could give towering 21-year-old blue-liner Philippe Myers a chance to become one of Philadelphia's top-six defensemen to open the season.
