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

Although it appears that the Montreal Canadiens want to trade Max Pacioretty sooner rather than later, waiting until the trade deadline is the safer option.

The NHL is a league heavily driven by comparables and comparisons. “Look at what [insert team name] got for [insert player name],” is one of the more common lines when making trades, and can affect organizations for better or for worse. The Montreal Canadiens have a few to work with based on the moves made this offseason when it comes to Max Pacioretty.

Mike Hoffman was traded twice to the San Jose Sharks and then the Florida Panthers. Both deals involved some middling prospects and draft picks, but nothing too extravagant. However, Pacioretty is a better player in terms of overall production and game usage. It’s a similar situation to Jeff Skinner.

The 26-year-old was a name to be on the move from the Carolina Hurricanes, and the trade finally took place Thursday. The Buffalo Sabres acquired Skinner in exchange for a prospect Cliff Pu, a 2019 second, as well as third and fifth-round picks in 2020. Whether that’s what Carolina wanted or a deal they ‘settled’ on probably will never come to light.

Pu was a third-round pick in 2016 and has put up some impressive numbers in the OHL. He went from scoring 12 goals and 19 points in 63 games in his draft year to 35 goals and 51 assists in the same time frame the season after. The North York native continued that production splitting time between the London Knights and Kingston Frotenacs including 17 points in 15 playoff games.

It’s too early to freely judge the trade as it’s one that will need time to play out. Pu is expected to make his professional debut in the AHL this upcoming season, and it’ll be at least another three years before the Hurricanes know what they have in those draft picks. The fact of the matter is that there’s a lot of mystery and ‘what if’ in the return, which is something you’d want to reduce as much as possible when it’s a player of Skinner’s calibre going the other way.

Patience is a Virtue

No team should have a problem paying the acquisition and signing price for Pacioretty if he returns to form, which we can all assume he will. But the only available reference point at the moment is a 17-goal season with a few dry spells here and there.

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Although the questions on a nightly basis will be around Pacioretty and his status with the team, the Montreal Canadiens have to wait to make a move. That will be the best way to maximize the return. Bergevin has walked away from trades where he could’ve gotten more in the past, and he can’t afford the same thing to occur with Pacioretty.

If waiting until the trade deadline, allowing him to play out half of the year and return to his expected level of production brings Beregvin closer to getting that ideal package, then it’s something the Habs have to do. There’s a risk in this of course. What if Pacioretty performs even worse than last season?

It’s a possibility for sure, but that’s a risk the Montreal Canadiens need to take. Draft picks are good, especially when you consider the focus of the organization. But seconds and thirds aren’t going to cut it for Pacioretty.

Moving a player at his peak will always be better than doing it at their lowest. Pacioretty is coming off a tough season and is going to be on the hunt for redemption in a Habs uniform. He’ll always be playing for his next contract and should have no problem pushing himself to better drive up his salary.

If Bergevin has the patience to make the deal then, the Montreal Canadiens will be better off and hopefully walk away satisfied with the return.