As we near the dog days of the NHL offseason, former Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty remains one of the few big names left in free agency limbo, patiently awaiting offers.
Spending the bulk of the last three years dealing with an injury, the veteran winger proved to still have gas in the tank last season with a comeback campaign as a member of the Washington Capitals.
With that in mind, there’s more than one reason why a reunion with the organization that drafted him back in 2007 could make sense.
A discount deal for the Canadiens
Despite having plenty of cap space, the Canadiens did not make any major signings on July 1, instead focusing on the draft and potential trades.
However, signing someone like Pacioretty would likely prove very affordable with minimal risk involved.
Pacioretty, 35, is coming off a one-year deal, $4 million deal that saw him carry a cap hit of just $2 million.
Given where he is in his career, he’ll likely be looking for another short-term deal with a reasonable contract — something the rebuilding Habs can afford to take on.
Fit within the lineup
Looking at Montreal’s forward lines, it’s apparent that they lack two major areas: secondary scoring and veteran presence — especially with the recent departures of Sean Monahan and Tanner Pearson.
Bringing on Pacioretty, who captained the Habs from 2015 to 2018, would tick both of those boxes.
His scoring touch would also benefit Montreal’s power play, which ranked towards the bottom of the league last season with a 17.46% efficiency rate.
Past success
Pacioretty was one of the Canadiens’ most consistent producers of the 2010s.
Hitting 60+ points with Montreal on five separate occasions, the Connecticut native is a six-time 30-goal scorer, logging 668 points over 902 NHL games.
Although his Montreal tenure came to an unhappy ending via a trade to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Habs have completely revamped their management team since then, allowing for redemption.
And while donning the “C” and navigating the pressure of Montreal media seemed to wear heavy on Pacioretty in his prime, there would be a lot less pressure on him this time around.
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