Montreal Canadiens: Should Habs Consider Bringing Back Max Pacioretty?

The Montreal Canadiens are not expected to contend for a Stanley Cup next season. They are rebuilding the team and need some time to properly put things together before they can turn themselves into contenders.

That means they are unlikely to be big players in the free agent market. It just doesn’t make sense to spend big on players and rush their way into contention. That just isn’t the best way to do things. Slow and steady wins the rebuilding race and the Canadiens need to take their time.

That doesn’t mean they can’t sign anyone. They just re-signed veteran forward Sean Monahan and that makes a lot of sense. He is a good veteran and leader and loved playing in Montreal. He also only signed for one season and could easily be flipped at the trade deadline for future assets if he can stay healthy next season.

Monahan is looking to rebuild his own value and that is easier to do on a rebuilding team than a contender. Signing a player that fits that profile makes sense for the Habs who can give him the opportunity to succeed and then swap him in February for a decent return.

The same could be said about Max Pacioretty. The former Canadiens captain was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Nick Suzuki and Tomas Tatar as well as a draft pick back in 2018. While he wanted out of town at that time, there have been a lot of changes around the Canadiens and perhaps Pacioretty would be open to returning.

He appeared to be frustrated with head coach Claude Julien at the time and perhaps was not seeing eye to eye with general manager Marc Bergevin either. Well, Martin St. Louis is the head coach now and Kent Hughes is running the management team so any disagreements with management are water under the bridge at this point.

Pacioretty, like Monahan, could be strongly considering a one-year contract to rebuild his value after injury riddled seasons. He played just 39 games in 2021-22, his final season with the Golden Knights, but he had 19 goals and 37 points. Last season he played just five games, but scored three goals, as he missed almost the entire season with two separate achilles injuries.

At the age of 34, a lot of contending teams will be wary of that injury history. Cap dollars are precious and teams can’t risk a few million on a player who has barely played less than 30 games since Christmas in 2021. His latest injury came on January 19. He had surgery shortly after that and it will be a long recovery but he should be ready for the start of next season.

The Canadiens could offer him a contract like Monahan’s, which is one year at about $2 million, to play on a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. That would be a pretty good spot to rebuild his value for a more lucrative contract a year from now. Pacioretty will be 35 after the upcoming season, so it is really his last chance to sign a contract for big money, and he will only get it if he shows he can still put the puck in the net after his surgeries.

If he were to come back to Montreal and score some goals for the first half of the season, he could be the biggest target at the trade deadline next season. So, he wouldn’t be signing with a contender, but if he signs with the Canadiens at a low price, he can be assured he will get traded to a contender before the postseason.

It may prove too risky for contending teams to give a couple million to Pacioretty this offseason. If so, returning to Montreal to play a big role and score some goals in the first half might be the best way to prove to contenders he can help them win a Stanley Cup.

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