Montreal Canadiens: Max Pacioretty will not negotiate during season
The Montreal Canadiens have many problems, but the biggest one is their lack of depth at center. So why are they so intent on shopping Max Pacioretty?
The Montreal Canadiens have a really bad team. Their goalie is paid too much, they have a lot of scoring problems, and have no center depth. So when their captain and first-line wing’s contract is expiring at the end of the season, shouldn’t he be signed to an extension already? It is September 6, eight days before training camp starts and Max Pacioretty still has not received a word from the Canadiens about an extension deal. What is Marc Bergevin thinking?
The Habs have made it clear that they are intent in shopping him. Pacioretty’s agent, Alan Walsh has already confirmed on Twitter that Montreal tried to trade him to the LA Kings during the draft. However, the deal fell through because they couldn’t decide on an extension. The lack of communication from management’s side also points to the fact that Pacioretty’s time with Montreal is nearing an end.
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Pacioretty has also said he will not negotiate any contracts once the season starts. He is entering a year in which he is trying to earn a contract and he does not want to be distracted.
The question is why would the Canadiens not want him? Montreal has a very obvious scoring problem.
They finished third to last in the league in goals for (207) as well as average goals per game (2.52). Their best offensive player, Brendan Gallagher, put up 54 points last season. This team needs goal scorers and Pacioretty is one of them.
Last season was one of the worst seasons of his career. Pacioretty missed 18 games to injury and had a major scoring slump early in the season. He ended up with 17 goals and 20 assists, which still put him top five on the roster in scoring (that’s how bad the Habs are).
However, before that season, he went four straight years with 60+ points and 30+ goals. Pacioretty’s exactly the type of player Montreal lacks and why they want to get rid of him is beyond me.
Currently, he is on an absolute robbery of a contract worth $4.5 million a season. He’s 29 years old and will be looking for a major pay raise. Pacioretty will enter the season with a single mission to prove to the league his worth and finally earn a big check.
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Montreal went from Atlantic division leaders in 2015 and 2017 to a tire fire. They had a “culture problem” so they decided to get rid of the “problems”. First, they started with P.K. Subban, then their head coach Michel Therrien, and so on. They’ve done so much to try and fix this “problem” but it only seems to be getting worse. Now, they’re trying to get rid of their captain, one of the only players who are good enough to help with their scoring problem. When will this all end?