Despite plenty of pre-deadline hoopla at the start of this week, Erik Karlsson says he never wanted to be traded from the Ottawa Senators. Apparently that wasn't the case for Max Pacioretty.
Revisiting early-week trade activity around the NHL, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday that the longtime Montreal Canadiens forward was "frustrated and tired" and "ready to go" ahead of Monday's deadline.
That mentality apparently changed after Pacioretty, a five-time 30-goal scorer with the Habs, met with Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin after the deadline, as the veteran is now reportedly "excited" and "refreshed" to move forward with the Canadiens. But leading up to Monday, when other big-name players like Ryan McDonagh and Paul Stastny were moved, it was a different story.
"In the days and weeks leading up to Monday, Pacioretty never explicitly demanded a trade," Friedman said, "but his feelings were well known inside the organization."
His feelings were so strong, in fact, that Pacioretty even identified the Florida Panthers as one of his preferred destinations, per Friedman. And that may have come after separate, repeated attempts by Bergevin both to find Pacioretty a new home and land a major haul in return.
It's believed that, when Los Angeles inquired, Bergevin's ask involved Tyler Toffoli, 2017 first-rounder Gabriel Vilardi and possibly more. The Kings quickly said no. Another belief: He asked Minnesota for Charlie Coyle-plus, also a no.
For now, the 29-year-old Canadiens winger remains in Montreal, signed through 2018-19.
