Montreal Canadiens: Trading Max Pacioretty at the deadline may be better

Connecting to Pacioretty

With Skinner off the market, all eyes (again) are on the Montreal Canadiens and Pacioretty. However, there is still Artemi Panarin available who teams may be more willing to dish out pieces to acquire.

So returning to the comparable angle, if Skinner can fetch a decent prospect with some upside, two seconds, and a third, then what does Pacioretty get you? In a perfect world, you’d assume a first, player, and a high-end prospect gets it done. Not only are the 29-year-old’s on-ice talents a quality addition, but his $4.5 million AAV would give the acquiring team more room to play with (depending on what their salary cap situation is).

The problem is Bergevin isn’t exactly in control here. Teams know that he has to trade Pacioretty as there are no plans to sign him to a contract. If the Montreal Canadiens believe the Habs captain is worth more than the Skinner return, which by all accounts he is, it could be tough to get a deal done.

The other teams in the NHL have all the freedom to give Bergevin a double dosage of hardball. Another thing to keep in mind is that there isn’t a clear indication of whether Skinner is going to re-sign in Buffalo. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn of that playing a role in the returning offer.

It’ll be another strike against Pacioretty if the same thing applies, especially when you consider what some of these other wingers have been getting signed to. Tom Wilson is going to be making $5.17 million per season after setting a career high with 35 points in the regular season and 15 points in the playoffs. Additionally, Mark Stone was given a one-year $7.35 million contract with the Ottawa Senators.

Stone is by far Ottawa’s best forward but has yet to eclipse the 30-goal mark. A new team acquiring Pacioretty is probably looking at the very least $8-8.5 million per year.