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Pittsburgh Penguins Rumours: Penguins Interested in Max Pacioretty

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 18: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on January 18, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 18: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on January 18, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Pittsburgh Penguins had a fairly quiet free agency period so far.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have not made any significant splashes during this year’s offseason, but that could all change.

As Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reported on Tuesday, the Penguins have reportedly inquired about Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens.

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Pacioretty, 29, is the captain of the Habs and had a rather underwhelming season this past year. He scored 37 points in 64 games last season, which is a large drop off from his usual average.

He has been involved in trade rumours all season long as the Habs are going through a rebuild. They’re most likely looking to acquire younger talent and draft picks in exchange for Pacioretty, who is still in his prime. It makes sense for the Penguins to go looking to acquire such talent when available, but is he really worth the trade?

Cap Issues

As Bernstein pointed out in his tweet, the Penguins would have cap issues trying to acquire Pacioretty. According to CapFriendly, The Penguins currently have a cap space of about $2,882,500. Pacioretty’s current cap hit alone is $4.5 million. The Penguins will have to move some contracts or shed some cap if they want to seriously look int acquiring Pacioretty.

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For starters, the Penguins should probably be looking to send someone like Carl Hagelin the other way. Hagelin has a cap hit of $4 million and would be crucial to acquiring Pacioretty. However, this would not be enough to attract Montreal’s interest. A deal would have to include a prospect like Daniel Sprong and a first rounder. This would simply be the starting point.

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