Report: The Montreal Canadiens will not be extending Max Pacioretty

By Omar L | Jul 10, 2018

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 26: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens looks on against the Los Angeles Kings during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 26, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

The Montreal Canadiens have reportedly been trying to trade Max Pacioretty, and the latest news on his contract status proves his time is almost up.

The Max Pacioretty story arc with the Montreal Canadiens has been a wild one this past season. It started with his new style of play that inhibited his ability to score adding another problem to the team’s plate.

Pacioretty had a single goal to his name in his first 8 games which came in the season opener against the Buffalo Sabres. He started to heat up in January scoring 8 goals in 9 games, but it looked to be a momentary flare of production. Another thing that stood out negatively for the 29-year-old was the way he looked on the ice.

The team captain would have some games that would make fans truly question whether he was harbouring an injury. But that didn’t come until later in the season. A lower-body injury saw Pacioretty’s season cut short finishing with his lowest goal total in five years.

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However, what stood out the most with Pacioretty was all the trade talk. It came out at first that the Montreal Canadiens were aggressively shopping the sniper back in January. That continued up until the trade deadline but nothing came out of it.

The Pacioretty trade buzz picked up around the draft seeing a scenario where he was almost dealt in a three-team deal between the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres. The Los Angeles Kings were a trade candidate as well, but apparently negotiating a contract with them nixed the move.

As the offseason sits in July, it was starting to look like Pacioretty would start the 2018-19 season with the Habs. That could very well still be how things play out. The newest development is that management won’t be negotiating a new extension with him.

According to Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic, Marc Bergevin will not be working on a new contract for Pacioretty. The article also includes that Bergevin will be trying to trade him as soon as possible.

This news removes the chance of a sign-and-trade brought up before the draft. A new contract could’ve made Pacioretty look like a more attractive addition, but that doesn’t seem to be a factor anymore.

Next: Matchup Issues for Drouin

Perhaps the 2007 first-round pick doesn’t start the season with the team. If so, it’ll be interesting to see who he’s traded to and what the return is.