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Pacioretty Must Be Dealt… Or His Agent Will Kill His Value...

September 4, 2018, 6:07 PM ET [433 Comments]
Brandon Smillie
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The hiring of agent Allan Walsh mid first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in Dallas seemed like a bit of a weirdly timed event. Happening at nearly same time as some highly credible sources said that Max Pacioretty had been dealt to a California based franchise.

Within roughly 10 or so minutes the deal was squashed by Friedman and the like and the agent hiring news broke.

Agent in tow at the Captians Golf Tournament it appeared to be repeatedly stated by Pacioretty and his agent that Max wanted to remain in MTL. But if we are being fair to the event and people in attendance and affected by the fundraising efforts, it was no place for these kinds of questions or topics. As we know all to well though, Montreal media doesn’t respect boundaries or humans very well and as a result have lost a lot of respect in the eyes of their own communities.

So, after this Walsh goes on the offensive after a local media personalty says he received confirmation that Pacioretty was dealt to the LA Kings in a package that included T Toffoli and G Vilardi (note…. WOW!), but Pacioretty nixed the deal because he couldn’t agree to terms on a contract. Walsh begins to go bananas through his Twitter account blaming the Canadiens brass for leaking false info, bashes the reporter, and states that Pacioretty is willing to stay in MTL long term.

The reporter defended himself stating that he did not receive that information from anyone in Canadiens management and has never received information from Canadiens management.

Now, not everyone is being truthful here…. But who is being the most truthful?

The reporter receiving information from a source they trust and relaying it is News Media 101. It’s literally their job. Sometimes the info is good, sometimes bad, sometimes fictitious. Either way, the tirade by the agent shortly thereafter kind of led me to believe there was some truth in there.

People who deal with high professional athletes, attend high society functions, and make loads of cash don’t concern themselves with the little folks too often. Someone leaked some information that made the Pacioretty camp furious. Why would they get so angry? Well, if true it would sully the Captain’s reputation in MTL as the return would have helped the Canadiens GREATLY now and in the future. If true, it shows that Pacioretty is holding up any deals with contract demands that even other GM’s are balking at and I would bet that Walsh told Max exactly what range of contract he could get him. If it becomes known that he couldn’t do that it’s a blow to the agents ego and brand as well.

When I thought about it roughly as I worded it above it leads me to believe the player wants out, the agent is stuck with a talent that is likely going to take heat and pressure the longer this goes on and into the season, and the agent doesn’t want to risk his asset looking like he can’t handle said pressures. This would lower his bargaining value next summer as we can see from this past UFA period that GM’s aren’t spending like drinking sailors on July 1st anymore, there’s just too much risk. GM’s will pay for potential, but no longer past performances.

All of this could have been dealt with if Pacioretty and his agents could have worked out a deal with LA and Bergevin would have put a pretty fancy feather in his cap. But, it appears the Captain is thinking about one thing and one thing only…

Getting Paid…

It’s a shame that all this is out now, but it should give some hope as Bergevin was netting a solid return in an offseason that has been spectacular from hirings, firings, signings, and drafting.

The return for Pacioretty is there, lets just hope Pacioretty and Walsh don’t make it impossible to deal him just to spite the Canadiens organization for doing what’s best for the long and short term future of the team…

Go Habs Go
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