The odds that Max Pacioretty bounces back to his expected range of 30 goals and 65 points just got a whole lot better. With a week to go before the Montreal Canadiens start the 2018-19 preseason, they dealt their captain to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a second-round pick.
For Pacioretty, it means he doesn't have to try to have a bounce-back campaign on the same team that spun out of control last season, leaving him with easily the worst showing of his career (17 goals, 37 points).