Love at first sight for Max Pacioretty, Knights in Las Vegas
When Max Pacioretty learned he would be traded to the Golden Knights, his 4-year-old son Lorenzo immediately went to his bedroom to try and identify his dad’s new team on his NHL logo sheets.
It was nowhere to be found because the bedsheets were made before the Knights joined the league.
So Pacioretty explained it was the team from the playoffs, the one with the elaborate pregame shows, and went to Youtube to refresh his memory.
“He couldn’t believe it,” Pacioretty said with a smile while being introduced as the newest Knight on Wednesday at City National Arena. “It was the playoffs and ‘Imagine Dragons’ were playing before the teams come out. I feel like this organization has changed the game. As I mentioned when I came here during the season, this experience was amazing but I couldn’t imagine being on the other side of it.
“Now I am.”
Pacioretty, who was acquired Sunday from Montreal in exchange for Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki and a second-round pick, brings five 30-goal seasons with him to the Knights.
He also brings three young sons and a wife expecting their fourth child to his new home.
While he has spoken glowingly about the Knights and the hockey experience in Las Vegas in the past, actually bringing a family to the desert was a major decision.
“Before we played here, friends around the league were talking about the game experience, where the families live and how they’re treated,” Pacioretty said. “But until I saw it for my own eyes, I didn’t really believe it. I still had goosebumps from when we left the rink and I told my wife, ‘If I’m a free agent, we’ve got to come here. This place is unbelievable.’ ”
Pacioretty’s wife Katia expressed concerns about living in Las Vegas, but Marc-Andre Fleury’s wife Veronique helped ease any concerns.
“She told my wife how great the living is out here and how great the community is and the schools and the people,” Pacioretty said. “We trust them and it made her feel a lot better.
She’s very, very, very excited about coming here and bringing the kids here to start this next chapter of our life.”
There is plenty of reason for optimism on the ice as well. Pacioretty was complimentary of Montreal and the Canadiens organization, but it was clear from his comments that he was excited to get out of a rebuilding situation that saw him take a fair share of the blame as the captain who endured a downturn in production last season.
The 29-year-old had to agree to an extension in order to finalize the deal and he did so, signing a four-year pact worth $7 million per season starting in 2019-20.
“If I had been taken by Vegas in the expansion draft, I wouldn’t be feeling the way I am today,” Pacioretty said. “Everyone had a lot of question marks about what this franchise would be like. Nobody knew this was going to turn into a hockey town.
“I know I’m in a situation where I’ll be put in a position to succeed. This is a team that had a lot of success last year and wants to win and I’m going to be a big part of it. I’m not someone just chasing dollars. I just want to be a part of this team.”
The team also wanted him, which it proved by giving up what it did to make the deal happen. It sent a message not only to Pacioretty, but his new teammates.
“As a player, you want to be in an organization that wants to win right now,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “It’s great.”
Pacioretty’s transition will be helped by the fact he played for Gerard Gallant when he was an assistant with the Canadiens and that he’s close friends with free-agent addition Paul Stastny, with whom he will likely play on the second line.
“We’re linemates on Team USA,” Pacioretty said. “Our wives are friends, our parents are friends. We’re friends. We do have chemistry. He’s a very reliable center, more of a give-and-go player, which is kind of why I like playing with him a lot.
“Just to come in and know you have previous chemistry with another player and also to know we’re going through the process together is a comforting feeling.”
Pacioretty knows he will be scrambling the next few days with training camp opening Thursday and still needing to find a place to live and get his family situated, but he’s excited for the challenge and the prospect of playing for a contender.
He also may have to get his son some new bedsheets.
More Golden Knights: Follow all of our Golden Knights coverage online at reviewjournal.com/GoldenKni
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
