The Vegas Golden Knights made another statement this week by trading for Canadiens star forward, Max Pacioretty. Vegas continues its summer of adding talented forwards with leadership ability. Vegas GM George McPhee traded and signed for another elite misfit player out to prove something. The former captain is primed to have a great statistical season after leaving his stress behind in Montreal.
We’ve added a couple of players in Stastny and Pacioretty that are very good two-way players, very good character people. So I hope that we are a better team than we were last year. Time will tell. – Vegas GM George McPhee
What We Know About Max Pacioretty
- Selected 21st overall (MTL) in 2007 Draft
- Left-handed Forward
- Played College hockey at Michigan
- Played 10 seasons with Montreal
- Signed 4-year/$28M contract with Vegas
- 2017-18 Stats: 64 Games Played, 17 Goals, 20 Assists, 37 Points, Average Time On Ice (19:01), -16, 212 Shots, 6 Power Play Goals
- Career Averages – 10 Seasons: ATOI (17:38), Goals (23), +4, Takeaways (20), 242 Shots
Pacioretty, known to many fans as “Patches”, is a pure goal-scorer, with 226 career goals in 10 seasons. Five times the 29-year-old forward has notched 30 or more goals. In the 2013-14 and 2014–15 seasons, Pacioretty was top five in goals scored. However, he’s not a one-trick pony. The ten-year veteran worked hard to become an important asset on even-strength, power-play or penalty-kill units. Not many high goal-scoring wingers can play the full sheet of ice like Pacioretty.
What We May Not Know About Max Pacioretty
- Born November 20, 1988 in New Canaan, Connecticut
- All-CCHA 2008 Rookie Team
- 2012 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy winner, awarded to player with perseverance and dedication
- During a game in 2011, Pacioretty suffered a severe concussion and fractured vertebrae on a scary hit by Boston’s Zdeno Chara
- In 2016, McDonald’s launched the Max67 Burger in Quebec locations
We’re not going to get a player like Pacioretty without doing something like (giving up Nick Suzuki). Fortunately, we’ve drafted well enough that we can do that. We have the assets to allow us to make a move like that. We had the assets to do it, and we landed the player. – Vegas GM George McPhee
The Golden Knights GM now solidified their second line to go along with an elite top line. Without the pressure in Montreal, Pacioretty should easily score 30 goals with Vegas. It’s possible the new addition becomes the leading goal-scorer. The Golden Knights won’t have trouble scoring when you add Patches’ offense to William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Erik Haula’s goal totals. With an elite goaltender, and a depth-filled defense, it’s clear that Vegas made a win-now move trading for Pacioretty.
Last season, Attorney Adam Kutner gave away tickets to the Vegas Golden Knights home games, along with Zamboni rides during the intermissions. As an avid hockey fan, Adam Kutner looks to keep the VGK spirit alive by providing weekly news updates about the team’s offseason. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on our beloved Golden Knights.
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