PACIORETTY CONUNDRUM
Future with Habs still up in air
STE-JULIE Most NHL teams would be rushing to lock up a perennial 30-goal scorer who is playing in a city he loves.
But the Montreal Canadiens are in no hurry to work out an extension for captain Max Pacioretty, who is in a position to become an unrestricted free agent next July.
“There are no talks,” Pacioretty said prior to teeing off in the third annual Captain’s Tournament charity event at the Richelieu Valley Golf Club Tuesday.
While team owner Geoff Molson said he was anxious to see Pacioretty at training camp next month, there has been a cloud of uncertainty over his future with the team. The Canadiens attempted to trade him at the draft in June — the deal fell though when Pacioretty wouldn’t commit to signing an extension with the Los Angeles Kings — and Pacioretty hinted that a delay in organizing his golf tournament was the result of that uncertainty.
That delay, Pacioretty explained, led to an erroneous report that the Canadiens weren’t lending their support to the event, which would have been curious since the proceeds from the tournament are split between the Montreal Canadiens’ Children’s Foundation and Pacioretty’s own foundation, which is affiliated with the Montreal General Hospital.
Pacioretty said his portion of the funds will help fund diagnostic equipment to help the hospital deal with traumatic brain injury. That is not surprising given Pacioretty’s association with the hospital, which began on March 8, 2008, when he suffered a concussion, broken vertebrae and other injuries when he was driven into a stanchion at the Bell Centre by Boston’s Zdeno Chara.
The team was well represented Tuesday with Molson, general manager Marc Bergevin and head coach Claude Julien in attendance.
The team’s public relations staff was on hand to organize interviews with management, Pacioretty and a handful of players.
Molson and Bergevin deflected any questions about Pacioretty’s status. Bergevin noted that the focus Tuesday was on the fundraising aspect of the event and said that any hockey questions would be addressed on Sept. 10 at the team’s annual golf tournament at Laval-sur-le-lac.
The absence of negotiations could be the result of numerous factors, starting with term — Pacioretty and agent Allan Walsh are probably looking for at least seven seasons and possibly a maximum deal of eight years — and money. The market dictates a salary in the $7-million-to-$8-million range, but Pacioretty may be looking for a sweetener because he has been underpaid in recent years.
There is also the possibility the Canadiens don’t want him at any price. They have tried to trade him at least once and Bergevin seemed to have the captain in his sights when he talked about a lack of character in his post-season assessment of the team.
Speculation may heat up at the trade deadline when teams are looking to add a scorer for a Stanley Cup push. But the failure to negotiate an extension may come back to bite the Canadiens if they can’t move him and his value goes up on the free-agent market.
Some of his teammates expressed support for Pacioretty Tuesday.
“He’s a good captain and he made me feel welcome when I came here from Buffalo,” said Nicolas Deslauriers.
Jonathan Drouin trains with Pacioretty but said they rarely discuss the captain’s status. “I’m hoping he’s around because we need scoring,” Drouin said.
If the situation is wearing on Pacioretty, he doesn’t show it.
“I have a good life,” he said. “I make my home here 12 months of the year. My kids are excited to be starting school tomorrow. I’m playing a game I love.”