The Montreal Canadiens may believe they have to trade captain Max Pacioretty as
 soon as possible, but it actually depends...Pacioretty Rumors, Lies & Innuendo

Take for example the fact that line of thinking was probably accurate a few
days ago too… just ahead of Pacioretty's annual golf tournament. That's just
further proof timing is everything, as a trade yesterday would have set off a
public-relations disaster of epic proportions.

Hell, there was a controversy based on a sheer rumor that general manager Marc
Bergevin and owner Geoff Molson weren't attending, despite them not having yet
received invitations. Needless to say, the Habs must handle this situation with
 the utmost care to both mitigate any potential bad press and maximize the
return.

Granted, to truly maximize the return, Bergevin would have traded him at last
year's trade deadline. Since then, the NHL Entry Draft has come and gone,
followed by a report the Habs will not negotiate a contract extension with
Pacioretty, who';s entering the last year of his deal.

An NHL source tells @MAGodin that the Canadiens have informed Max Pacioretty
they will not negotiate a contract extension with him: https://t.co/pEbnuIo3kM

- Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) July 10, 2018

It was (in part) confirmed by Pacioretty, who said at the tournament that there
 haven';t been negotiations between the two sides. Unfortunately for the Habs,
that report has arguably given the other 30 teams at least the illusion
they';re desperate to trade him. Combined with Pacioretty's meager (by his
standards) 2017-18, during which he scored 17 goals, it's fair to say he won't
fetch all that much on the market. So, it's up to the Canadiens to increase
demand for his services.Patience Is a Virtue for Habs

How can they do that, you might ask. Well, in a word, wait. Trading Pacioretty
now for a bag of magic beans does no one any good. In fact, if Bergevin is
serious about trying to make the playoffs, the Habs could do much worse than to
 hold on to a perennial 30-goal scorer, regardless of the disappointing season
Pacioretty just had.

Truth be told, if the return fellow-left-winger Jeff Skinner fetched in early
August is any indication, any Pacioretty trade will only serve to disappoint
even more. The Habs realistically have little to lose by keeping Pacioretty in
the lineup.Max Pacioretty - (Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Of course the Pacioretty trade watch may prove to be a distraction the longer
it goes on. Look at it from a different angle, though: Bergevin has lost a few
trades over the last few years and no one seems to let him forget about any of
those, right? What';s another drop in the bucket?Walking the Captain Back from
the Plank

No, Bergevin must not rush it. That means giving Pacioretty a chance to rebound
 and return to his old 30-goal-scorer self. If this season goes as every
analyst is expecting and the Habs head into the trade deadline as sellers, they
 should have little trouble bleeding the stone that is Pacioretty dry. Just
look at what the New York Rangers got for Rick Nash, an older winger also
headed to free agency with a worse contract and longer history of being in
decline, ahead of last year's deadline.

Admittedly, if Bergevin waits too long, trying to build up a bidding war, he
may lose out altogether. If Bergevin's learned one lesson since last year,
that's gotta be it. God knows he's yet to learn not to make a one-for-one
trade. He's not very good at those.Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc
Bergevin - (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

What Bergevin is good at on the other hand is keeping his job… somehow. He
must understand he needs another controversy like he needs another P.K. Subban,
 which is funny, because the Habs could actually use the services of an
in-his-prime, puck-moving, multi-time Norris Memorial Trophy candidate to play
with Shea Weber.

In any case, Bergevin said at the tournament he expects Pacioretty to be at
training camp. There's no reason to believe anything to the contrary, even if
only because the right offer won't realistically present itself until a few
months into the season at least.

Patience is key here, because, again, the Habs have nothing to lose except
games. If it so happens that Pacioretty resurrects his career, Bergevin will
have dodged a bullet. He's the one about ready to pull the trigger in this
case, though. Glass half-full? He's run out of feet to shoot (probably).

As long as Bergevin doesn';t let loose any additional friendly fire in the
direction of one of his key players in Pacioretty, so as to give him the best
chance to succeed, all should be all right. Unfortunately, the key word there
is "additional."

So, it all actually depends on Bergevin, it turns out. Fingers crossed.

The post The Best Time for Habs to Trade Pacioretty appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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