Montreal Canadiens: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

2. Is a Max Pacioretty trade imminent?

Arguably nobody had a more disappointing season on the Habs than Max Pacioretty. He has developed a reputation as one of the best goalscorers in the NHL, but something happened last season. It was the first time in four years that he failed to hit 30 goals, and while he was part of the lengthy list of names on the mend, most of his struggles came while he was fully healthy.

While Pacioretty has been content to skate by without a true no. 1 center, their attempts to shoehorn Jonathan Drouin and Alex Galchenyuk into that role really hurt him. He went through two extended slumps when he only scored one goal in 22 games between November and January and one in 15 games before he got shut down. There were talks that they’d try to move him during the season, but it would’ve done them no good to trade someone when their value is at an all-time low.

When it came to draft day, two potential deals emerged for Pacioretty’s services. The Sabres wanted both him and the third overall pick in exchange for Ryan O’Reilly. The Kings were also interested, but they couldn’t work out a new contract, so they settled on Ilya Kovalchuk instead.

Pacioretty will now have a year to regain his confidence and increase his value. The near-misses during the offseason suggest that his struggles last season did nothing to impede other teams’ interest in him and could signify that a trade at or before the deadline is imminent.