Max Pacioretty could be just what the Bruins need

With the Vegas Golden Knights reportedly taking calls on left wing Max Pacioretty, the Bruins would be wise to look into being a trade partner with Vegas.

When free agency began on Oct. 8, there were some names available (and some still are) that could help solve a lot of the Boston Bruins’ problems with secondary scoring.

General manager Don Sweeney signed 31-year old right wing Craig Smith who spent the first nine of his years with the Nashville Predators. Smith has been a 20-goal scorer in five of those nine years for the Preds. He will provide the Bruins with middle-six scoring depth and even some power play time in a pinch.

Other notable free agents that Sweeney and the Boston front office passed on were Taylor Hall, who curiously signed with the Buffalo Sabres and Tyler Toffoli who signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Mike Hoffman is still unsigned as a free agent and the former Florida Panther would be a nice veteran addition to a playoff contender.

Wednesday, there were reports that the Vegas Golden Knights are willing to listen to offers on their leading scorer from 2019-20, Max Pacioretty. With the Golden Knights reportedly in a tough cap situation, Sweeney would be foolish for not picking up the phone in his office and making a call out to Las Vegas to kick the tires on acquiring the Golden Knights’ goal-scoring left wing.

With Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak most likely missing some time to begin the 2020-21 season as they recover from offseason surgeries in September, losing your top two point producers from last season is not an ideal way to begin a shortened regular season.

Yes, Sweeney brought back Jake DeBrusk on a two-year bridge deal along with signing Smith. The Bruins also re-signed bottom-six forwards Karson Kuhlman and Zach Senyshyn in moves that aren’t going to cause a big shift in goal-scoring. Greg McKegg was also signed in a free-agent deal from the New York Rangers. That signing just seems to have added bottom-six depth to a team that is loaded with it.

The Bruins core players are not getting younger and the window for this group could be closing in the not too distance future.

Consider Ondrej Kase and Smith as right wings after Pasta on the Boston depth chart, the situation is different on the left side with Marchand, DeBrusk, and then who? That’s where Pacioretty comes in.

Pacioretty is under contract for three more years at $7 million per. In 12 seasons between the Canadiens and Golden Knights, he had 280 career goals. Last season, he had 32 goals and 34 assists for the Knights in the regular season, which including eight power play goals and 11 power play assists.

There would have to be roster movement for the deal to happen, but with a core group seeing the window closing on their chances at winning another Stanley Cup, Sweeney needs to call Vegas and see if there’s a deal that could be made.