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The Washington Capitals made an interesting move on the first day of NHL free agency. Washington signed veteran forward Max Pacioretty to a one-year contract. Pacioretty joins after injuries limited him to just five games with the Carolina Hurricanes this past season.
Pacioretty tore his Achilles tendon days after the Hurricanes acquired him via trade last summer. Six months later, he tore that same Achilles tendon in his fifth game back. Now, he gets the chance to bounce back with the Capitals.
However, a signing of this nature inherently comes with a fair few risks. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan acknowledged these risks when speaking with reporters. But he and Washington's medical staff are confident this gamble will pay off.
“We got background on the history of what went on over the last little bit with his injury… There's still some risks, but a comfort level on thinking it'll probably work out,” MacLellan said, via The Hockey News.
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It's easy to understand why the Capitals are taking this risk. Pacioretty isn't far removed from scoring 24 goals and 51 points in 48 games for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020-21. Furthermore, the new Capitals forward has scored 30 or more goals on six occasions. He most recently scored 30+ goals in 2019-20.
Pacioretty has a solid track record of goal-scoring in the NHL. Washington won't need him to score 30 goals, but if he does, they certainly won't complain about that. One thing is for sure: the Capitals are comfortable taking a flier on Max Pacioretty.
“Really like the player. Obviously, he's one of the top goal scorers over the past number of years… we're excited to get him healthy and in our lineup,” MacLellan said.
