Pacioretty bides time
TRADE RUMOURS SWIRL AROUND CANADIENS CAPTAIN
Max Pacioretty waited till the last minute to confirm that he would go ahead with his annual charity golf tournament.
Amid months of trade rumours mentioning his name, Pacioretty wanted to see if he was still a Montreal Canadien before sending out invitations for the tournament that helped raise money for both the team’s and his own charitable foundations.
Pacioretty still wasn’t sure where he’ll play this season as he teed off Tuesday with some teammates, supporters, management and the coaching staff, but he wasn’t going to let that spoil the day.
“We wanted to wait until the last possible minute just in case something happened,” Pacioretty said. “Once we invited people, we got overwhelming support immediately.
“I wasn’t contemplating whether or not to do the tournament. I was always in my mind that I wanted to, but you didn’t want to do so if the circumstances weren’t right.”
He confirmed that there have been no talks with general manager Marc Bergevin on a new contract. So if negotiations don’t start soon, it is likely the club will try to deal the high-scoring leftwinger before his contract runs out at the end of the 2018-19 season and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Why Bergevin appears intent on trading one of the NHL’s best left-wingers over the last seven years is a mystery. Bergevin, who also spoke briefly to the media, said he expects Pacioretty to be on hand when the Canadiens camp opens Sept. 14.
“I can’t control that situation,” said Pacioretty. “I’ve got to worry about what I can control and that is out of my control when it comes down to it.
“Whether it’s Berg or my agent (Allan Walsh), they will have discussions that are necessary, but at this point I can’t control any of that.”
Bergevin and team president and owner Geoff Molson exchanged polite but hardly warm greetings with Pacioretty.
There had been a report that Bergevin and Molson would not attend, but the team released a statement two days later saying that invitations were delayed and they would be happy to join in.