Montreal Canadiens: Thoughts on Max Pacioretty’s post-game comments

The Montreal Canadiens lost again last night and what Max Pacioretty had to say after the latest one shows that it affects the players as much as the fans.

It was another game that ended in a shootout loss for the Montreal Canadiens. It was also the Habs’ eighth loss in their last ten games keeping them in the bottom five of the league. Many fans thought that the roster going into the match against the Philadelphia Flyers would look a tad different. For example, with Max Pacioretty.

In the dying minutes before the Trade Deadline after Evander Kane was traded to the San Jose Sharks, it looked like Pacioretty was on the move. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings were the two teams making the push to acquire the 29-year-old, but nothing materialized. Again, with another year left on his contract, the Habs didn’t have to trade him, at least not yet. Montreal could take this season as a one-off and start on the right foot next season, but it seems like the draft may be the place where trade talks pick up again.

The Habs still had their captain when they took on the Flyers who ironically had one of his best games in a while. Pacioretty played with grit and looked very engaged on the ice. Although he didn’t score and only had two shots, an effort is what he’s lacked at times, and that couldn’t be questioned. However, it’s not necessarily what happened during the game that has fans and media talking; it’s what happened after it.

Pacioretty was very open during the post-game scrums expressing his thoughts on the days leading up to the Trade Deadline. Probably one of the most important things he said was that he did not ask for a trade which coincides with Marc Bergevin‘s line in the press conference ahead of the game that the Habs weren’t shopping Pacioretty.

We can debate that quote on Bergevin not shopping the captain until we’re blue in the face, but Pacioretty had other things to say, in particular, this:

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It’s moments like these when we remember that these players are people with families. Besides the trade speculations, there’s been a lot thrown at Pacioretty this season as fans have continued to be displeased with his performances over the course of 62 games. That ‘Bye Bye Pacioretty’ promotion at a Montreal bar was definitely the worst of it.

Perhaps what we were seeing from Pacioretty’s play last night was a 10,000-pound weight being lifted off his shoulders. Everyone handles deadline talk differently, for some, they let bring their games to a higher level to impress other teams. For others, it brings them down because that’s all they can think about. Granted I’m not saying it’s either/or when it comes to Pacioretty, but I can also understand how the white noise can seem suffocating at times.

What Pacioretty said was right, he can’t shoulder the whole thing. The Habs have had a terrible season, but it’s come at the hands of several players, not just him. The only thing he and the rest of the team can do is ride out the rest of the season.

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What did you make of Pacioretty’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.