Knights changed NHL, wowed Pacioretty says
‘If I’m a free agent, we’ve got to come here,’ star had told wife
When Max Pacioretty learned he would be traded to the Golden Knights, his 4-year-old son Lorenzo went to his bedroom to try to identify his dad’s new team on his NHL logo sheets.
It was nowhere to be found, because the bedsheets were made before the Knights joined the league. So Pacioretty explained it was the team
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from the playoffs, the one with the elaborate pregame shows, and went to Youtube to refresh his son’s memory.
“He couldn’t believe it,” Pacioretty said with a smile while being introduced as the newest Golden Knight on Wednesday at City National Arena. “It was the playoffs and ‘Imagine Dragons’ were playing before the teams come out. I feel like this organization has changed the game. As I mentioned when I came here during the season, this experience was amazing, but I couldn’t imagine being on the other side of it.
“Now I am.”
Pacioretty, a left wing who was acquired Sunday from Montreal in exchange for Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki and a second-round pick, brings five 30-goal seasons with him to the Knights.
He also brings three young sons and a wife expecting their fourth child to his new home.
While he has spoken glowingly about the Knights and the hockey experience in Las Vegas in the past, bringing a family to the desert was a major decision.
“Before we played here, friends around the league were talking about the game experience, where the families live and how they’re treated,” Pacioretty said. “But until I saw it for my own eyes, I didn’t really believe it. I still had goosebumps from when we left the rink and I told my wife, ‘If I’m a free agent, we’ve got to come here. This place is unbelievable.’ ”
Pacioretty’s wife, Katia, expressed concerns about living in Las Vegas, but Marc-andre Fleury’s wife, Veronique, helped ease them.
“She told my wife how great the living is out here and how great the community is, and the schools and the people,” Pacioretty said. “We trust them, and it made her feel a lot better.
She’s very, very, very excited about coming here and bringing the kids here to start this next chapter of our life.”
The 29-year-old had to agree to an extension to finalize the deal, and he signed a four-year pact worth $7 million per season starting in 2019-20.
“If I had been taken by Vegas in the expansion draft, I wouldn’t be feeling the way I am today,” Pacioretty said. “Everyone had a lot of question marks about what this franchise would be like. Nobody knew this was going to turn into a hockey town.
“I know I’m in a situation where I’ll be put in a position to succeed. This is a team that had a lot of success last year and wants to win, and I’m going to be a big part of it. I’m not someone just chasing dollars. I just want to be a part of this team.”
Pacioretty’s transition will be helped by the fact he played for Knights coach Gerard Gallant when Gallant was an assistant with the Canadiens and that he’s close friends with free-agent addition Paul Stastny, with whom he will likely play on the second line.
“We’re linemates on Team USA,” Pacioretty said. “Our wives are friends, our parents are friends. We’re friends. We do have chemistry. He’s a very reliable center, more of a give-and-go player, which is kind of why I like playing with him a lot.
“Just to come in and know you have previous chemistry with another player and also to know we’re going through the process together is a comforting feeling.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@ reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @Adamhilllvrj on Twitter.