Max Pacioretty Has Been Traded To The Hurricanes

Max Pacioretty Has Been Traded To The Hurricanes

Glass Pacioretty had to go and the VGK finally found a taker. The Carolina Hurricanes are trading for forward Max Pacioretty and defensemen Dylan Coughlin. Vegas will receive nothing in return. It’s a pure cap dump.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was the first to report the news:

Pacioretty, 34 in November, was a way of clearing significant cap space for the VGK. It’s something I’ve been clamoring for. I just didn’t expect the return to be nothing. It makes the idea of trading away Nick Suzuki look ridiculous. However, I’m not sure the Knights would have acquired Jack Eichel had they kept Suzuki so let’s not try to undig that rabbit hole.

The bottom line is, Pacioretty is never on the ice. The former Canadien missed 43 games last year via two different injuries (broken wrist & foot). He’s never healthy. Even when you watch him skate, you close your eyes hoping for the best. While still a talented goal scorer, you can understand why Vegas felt it was necessary to move on.

What a weird offseason for the Hurricanes. Vincent Trocheck is gone. So is Tony DeAngelo. Carolina decides to replace both of them with in the form of aging Brent Burns and never stays on the ice Pacioretty. It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it pays off for them. In fairness to Carolina, acquiring Pacioretty for nothing with his ability to put pucks in the back of the net is certainly a gamble worth taking.