Over the past few years, the Vegas Golden Knights management has gained a reputation for having little to no loyalty, and they didn’t help themselves with that notion on Wednesday when they chose to trade Max Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Given the cap situation they were in, there had been whispers that a Pacioretty trade this offseason could take place. While trading a player who, despite injuries, is still very productive is an odd choice in itself, what made it even more strange was the return – or should I say – the lack thereof.
Heading to the Hurricanes along with Pacioretty is defenseman Dylan Coghlan. Heading the other way? Future considerations, aka nothing, at least not at this time. It is a very shocking deal, though one that had to be made for the Golden Knights to become cap compliant. That said, the only reason they are in the tricky cap situation is because of other odd moves, including the acquisition of Jack Eichel during the 2021-22 season.
Many fans and analysts alike were very surprised by this deal, and were in agreement that it does not reflect well on the Golden Knights as an organization. Despite several successful seasons which included many deep playoff runs, they seem to want to bring in every possible high-end player available, and aren’t afraid to trade off many other players on their roster to do so, this being the latest example.
As for the Hurricanes, this move couldn’t have been an easier decision for them to make. Though they did take on Pacioretty’s entire $7 million cap hit, that isn’t a huge deal given that there is only one year remaining on it, and, as mentioned previously, he is still very productive. In 39 games this past season, the 33-year-old scored 19 goals and 37 points. A season prior, his 24 goals in 48 outings led the Golden Knights roster.
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