TO THE MAX
New team, similar situation for Pacioretty, who says it’s far too early to write off struggling Knights
BUFFALO — The game was long over and the dressing room was practically empty, but Max Pacioretty remained sitting in his stall and waiting to answer for that night’s loss when the doors finally opened.
“Too many Grade-A opportunities,” he said of the 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. “We limited them to a low number of shots, but the shots that they did get were Grade-A. We can’t leave our goaltender out to dry like that.”
Had the questions been asked in a French accent, you would have sworn Pacioretty was still playing for the Montreal Canadiens.
But Pacioretty isn’t the captain anymore. He’s not even one of the three players wearing an ‘A’ in Vegas this season. He’s now the new guy on a newish team. And, yet, old habits die hard.
With the Golden Knights (1-2-0) somewhat struggling out of the gate — last year, they didn’t record their second loss until Oct. 30 — Pacioretty has assumed a leadership role in reminding everyone that last year was last year and it’s still far too early to panic.
“It’s three games,” he said when asked about the team’s inability to score. “Obviously we’d like the puck to go in a bit more and the chances are there, but keep working at it and we’ll get our bounces. It’s early, so there’s no reason to be frustrated. It will come. We came up short for two of the first three games, but there’s a lot of hockey to be played.”
This, in addition to the fact that only eight players have scored more goals than Pacioretty has in the past seven seasons, is sort of why the Golden Knights felt it was necessary to acquire the 29-year-old winger this summer.
As much as they accomplished in a magical season in which they won their division and advanced to the Stanley Cup final, this is still a relatively new team that really hasn’t faced any type of adversity. There was a fear that the Golden Knights, who relied on career years from just about everyone, would not be able to replicate last season’s success. Some picked them to miss the playoffs completely.
So Vegas, which lost James Neal and a couple of other players in the off-season, went out and signed free-agent veteran centre Paul Stastny in the summer, then swung a trade for Pacioretty right before the start of the season.
“It was great that George went out and got Max,” said goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. “He’s a proven scorer in this league. He was a captain in Montreal. He’s fit in great so far. We’re really excited to have him.”
For Pacioretty, who was practically run out of Montreal after a disastrous season in which he was criticized for his leadership and lack of production, the change was welcome — even if it’s been a life-altering adjustment.
“I don’t even have a house yet. My family’s not with me right now,” he said. “When you live somewhere for 10 years and then a week before the year — not even, a couple of days before training camp — you get traded, obviously there is some getting used to. But you know what? I didn’t expect to feel this comfortable this early. I think it says a lot about the team and the organization.”
Pacioretty, who scored the tying goal in a 2-1 overtime shootout win against the Minnesota Wild, is playing on a line with Stastny and Erik Haula, who scored 29 goals last season. He never had anything close to that kind of talent in Montreal. And as good as they are, it’s still considered Vegas’ secondbest line.
That means Pacioretty doesn’t have to carry the team offensively this season, nor does he have to fulfil all the obligations that came with captaining an Original Six team. He can just play.
It helps that every single player with the Knights was in a similar position to Pacioretty last season. They might not have been traded, but they were left unprotected in the expansion draft and thus unwanted. In that way, Pacioretty has already embodied the “Golden Misfit” characteristic that defined the team last season.
“For me, personally, coming into a new team after a full summer of wondering, the transition’s been better than I expected,” he said. “I keep mentioning a good group of guys in here makes it easier on myself. When you feel wanted, you want to come out and work for your teammates and your organization.”
When asked if a part of him is still hurt by how things ended up in Montreal, where he was drafted in 2007 and then named captain in 2015, Pacioretty did not hesitate to come up with an answer.
“No, it’s over,” he said. “It’s done.”
Has he turned the page? “You bet.”