Max Pacioretty got a pretty good windfall on his first afternoon in Las Vegas -- one worth $28 million, to be exact. The newest Golden Knights player agreed to a four-year, $28 million extension with the team hours after they acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens for two players and a draft pick. That contract extension, which will kick in after this season, comes with a limited no-trade clause. The Golden Knights didn't waste any time in locking up Pacioretty long term after trading Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a second-round pick for the former Montreal Canadiens captain in the early hours of Monday morning. The extension appears to be a very good one for Vegas, as they manage to get the 29-year-old Pacioretty to stick around without having to overcommit on the term or dollars. The $7 million average annual value (AAV) is a nice pay raise for Pacioretty, who is making $4.5 million AAV on his current deal, but it's still a very fair price point for a player that has been as productive as he's been over the past decade -- especially when you recognize that the length of the deal isn't a major risk. The winger is coming off a down year in which he recorded just 37 points in 64 games for Montreal. But the Canadiens struggled overall and were 29th in the league in offense last year, meaning there's reason to believe Pacioretty can get back to his productive ways on a very impressive Golden Knights team. Prior to last season, Pacioretty had four consecutive 60-plus point seasons -- including a career-high 39-goal campaign in 2013-14. Over the past seven years, only two players (Alex Ovechkin and John Tavares) have scored more even-strength goals than Pacioretty. The trade and extension come after a drawn out divorce in Montreal. The Canadiens were reportedly shopping Pacioretty in trade talks for the better part of a year -- including in a reported trade with the Los Angeles Kings that fell through earlier this summer -- and the club seemed to claim that he wasn't willing to sign an extension in Montreal. Pacioretty and his representation denied those claims, firing back with accusations that the club was planting negative stories about him in the media. A trade became more and more likely as the situation grew in toxicity, and Pacioretty made it known that he wouldn't negotiate a contract extension during the regular season. That meant the Canadiens would either have to quickly come to an agreement on an extension with their captain, or they'd have to pull the trigger on a trade if they didn't want to risk losing him for nothing in free agency. It's hard to imagine that the Canadiens weren't willing to match what Vegas offered in terms of years and money on the extension, which seems to suggest that Pacioretty wasn't super interested in sticking around with the Habs. However, it's worth noting that the lack of state tax in Nevada could've been a selling point for Pacioretty, whereas the taxes in Quebec are significantly less appealing. In any case, the Golden Knights' deal for Pacioretty looks significantly better knowing that he wont be a half-season rental, even more so when you consider that the terms are very agreeable.<doc-sep>The Vegas Golden Knights wasted no time in getting their newest player signed to a long-term contract extension. Less than 14 hours after acquiring Max Pacioretty from the Montreal Canadiens late Sunday night, the Golden Knights announced on Monday afternoon that they have signed the winger to a four-year contract extension that will pay him $28 million. That comes out to a salary cap hit of $7 million per season. That new contract will kick in at the start of the 2019-20 season, meaning that combined with the final year of his current contract (which will pay him $4.5 million this season) the Golden Knights will have Pacioretty under team control for the next five years through his age 34 season. [Related: Pacioretty saga ends with trade to Vegas] For Pacioretty, it is obviously a pretty significant raise and nearly doubles his previous annual salary. He has been one of the biggest bargains in the NHL over the past five years, scoring goals at an elite rate while being paid a fraction of what his peers have made. Living in Nevada as opposed to Montreal will also be a boost to his bottom line. Pacioretty’s new deal might be shorter than he first wanted, but the tax regulations in the state of Nevada is positive. I’m told this deal at 28 million over 4 years would be equivalent to Pacioretty earning 9.87 million per year in Montreal. — John Shannon (@JSportsnet) September 10, 2018 From the Golden Knights perspective, it is a pretty significant investment financially but they still have plenty of salary cap space (both this season and in the future) and managed to keep the term of the contract to a fairly reasonable four years. Given that Pacioretty is turning 30 this November there would have been a long-term risk to go much longer than that. General manager George McPhee has signed a handful of veteran players to long-term contracts over the past year, but has done a nice job not going too long on the term with any of them. Starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (age 33) received a three-year contract extension over the summer, while veteran center Paul Stastny (age 32) was also signed to a three-year deal in free agency. The longest he has gone on term with any player has been the six-year contract he signed Jonathan Marchessault (age 27) to last season. With Pacioretty now signed beyond this season, Vegas already has 14 players under contract for the 2019-10 season (including David Clarkson, who will forever be destined for the Long-Term Injured List) for only $56 million against the cap. Under the cap number for this season that would mean more than $23 million in salary cap space. Vegas still has more than $9 million in salary cap space for this upcoming season. All of this means they could still be players for another big score from outside the organization (like, say, a certain defenseman currently playing in Ottawa) if they really wanted to. Even though Pacioretty is coming off of a down year there are plenty of reasons (which we looked at here) to believe Pacioretty can bounce back and once again be one of the league’s top goal-scorers. — Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.<doc-sep>UPDATE: Max Pacioretty has signed a four-year extension worth an AAV of $7 million with the Golden Knights. George McPhee is a firm believer in breaking Vegas Twitter in the dead of night. Moments after the Vegas Golden Knights wrapped up their second game in the Vegas Rookie Faceoff on Sunday, the Golden Knights acquired Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty in a three-player deal. Vegas sent back forward Tomas Tatar, former No. 13 overall pick Nick Suzuki, and a 2019 second-round pick that was formerly of the Columbus Blue Jackets (which was the pick Vegas was given to select William Karlsson in the expansion draft). Good morning to all of you who were asleep when this happened. There’s a lot to process here. The Golden Knights are getting a proven goal scorer — Pacioretty has eclipsed 30 goals five times in his 10-year Montreal career. Vegas is also hoping Pacioretty stays healthy (played 64 games last season) and could benefit from a fresh start after a 29-win campaign from the Canadiens in 2017-18. Let’s break this down. Vegas cap space, possible extension for Pacioretty The Golden Knights acquired Tatar in a trade deadline deal with the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 26. Vegas gave up a steep price to get someone it believed could bolster the offense on the bottom six — a 2018 first-round pick, a 2019 second, and a 2021 third. The Golden Knights also took back a player making an AAV of $5.3 million for the next three years. Tatar’s end result was 20 regular season games, eight playoff games, six goals (four regular, two playoff). All in all, not the return the Golden Knights were hoping for after trading third-line forward Brendan Leipsic the same day to the Vancouver Canucks. Whether or not they feel the Golden Knights can get a better return in production from Pacioretty is unknown, but he has a cap hit of $4.5 million this year and will hit unrestricted free agency next season. Vegas essentially saves $800,000 for a better player with more team flexibility next summer. There’s also the possibility of Pacioretty receiving an extension from Vegas. David Pangotta of The Fourth Period said the Golden Knights and Pacioretty have engaged in talks on an extension, but nothing is set in stone right now. If Pacioretty wants to stay, however, he loves the place. “Best road game I’ve ever played in,” Pacioretty said, via the Associated Press, after Vegas defeated Montreal, 6-3, on Feb. 17. “When you experience it for yourself, that was a treat to play, and I wish we played them more than once a year. It was unbelievable. Everything was top notch. Couldn’t ask for better music, better atmosphere, better fans.” The kicker to a Pacioretty extension is it enters the territory of what Vegas went through with James Neal — a player entering his 30s and will command a hefty payday. More on this later. Vegas’ revamped second line ... and third line? Whatever the Golden Knights have planned for lines 2-4 is a mystery. That doesn’t mean it’s terrible. Pacioretty should slide into the second line with Alex Tuch and the newly-signed Paul Stastny. Since the 2011-12 season, only two players have scored more even-strength goals than Pacioretty — Alex Ovechkin (175) and John Tavares (153). That kind of production helps a playmaker like Stastny and opens up the ice for a young star in the making like Tuch. Pacioretty and Stastny replace two-thirds of Vegas’ second line left behind by Neal and David Perron, with the odd man out being 29-goal scorer Erik Haula. Haula, who centered the second line last season, could give Vegas the luxury of having a near-30-goal scorer leading its bottom six in 2018. Does Haula move to wing and Cody Eakin remains at center? Gerard Gallant will have his options. This could be a prove-it year for Haula, who benefitted greatly from having two veteran playmakers along his side. The triplets are no more In hindsight, this is going to look like an overpay for the Golden Knights — not because of giving up Tatar or a second-round pick they didn’t care for. Trading Suzuki and ending the era of the Vegas triplets is the most noteworthy bulletpoint in Montreal’s return. Suzuki was taken 13th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, one of three first-round picks by Vegas along with Cody Glass and Erik Brannstrom. They were pinned as the future cornerstones of the franchise, each expected to be called up to Vegas together in the near future. That will not be the case. Suzuki played left wing in Saturday’s rookie faceoff game against Colorado and was relatively quiet. After the game, coach Rocky Thompson said Suzuki would move back to his strong side (right). He wound up playing second-line center on Sunday against San Jose in what might have been an audition for Montreal to showcase his versatility. Nevertheless, Suzuki is gone, but Vegas will always have this. Nick Suzuki just fired a puck off the post and it hit the roof. Welcome aboard, rookie. — Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) June 27, 2017 But what about Erik Karlsson ? Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way, because it’s not as farfetched as it sounds. Would the Golden Knights like to get a new deal for Pacioretty done? Absolutely. Would they include him in any possible trade to Ottawa for Erik Karlsson? In a heartbeat. This isn’t to say the Golden Knights are going to rush into more supposed talks with the Senators for Karlsson now that Pacioretty could be an interesting trade chip — expiring contract, scores a lot of goals, etc. But Pacioretty could entice the pot for Ottawa to stay away from Glass in any Vegas-Ottawa trade talks — talks continue to be revolved around Glass and Vegas continues to not budge on that front. It wouldn’t be a shock if Vegas flipped Pacioretty for Karlsson and, still more than likely, Bobby Ryan. I’m of the mindset that if nothing happens before the start of the regular season, nothing happens until the deadline with Ottawa.<doc-sep>LAS VEGAS, NV - FEBRUARY 17: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens skates with the puck while Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights defends during the game at T-Mobile Arena on February 17, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) The Montreal Canadiens traded their captain Max Pacioretty after months of rumors, but did they actually get a decent return in a trade for a change? While most of the hockey world was asleep, the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights set off the time bomb that was a trade for Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty. Max Pacioretty is heading to Las Vegas in return for Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki, and Columbus’s second-round pick in 2019. Montreal retained 10% of Pacioretty’s salary, and Vegas retained 9.4% of Tatar’s salary in the deal. If there was a player that ever needed a change of scenery, it’s Max Pacioretty. After months of speculation and distractions, he’ll be heading to the greener pastures of Las Vegas. Vegas has already said that they do not intend for Pacioretty to be a rental, and have already begun negotiations to sign him to an extension. Negotiations ongoing today between the Golden Knights and Max Pacioretty's agent Allan Walsh on an extension for the newly acquired winger. Obviously important for the Knights to get it done, they didn't intend to acquire a rental. — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 10, 2018 But the real problem fell on the shoulders Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin. Whether anybody in Montreal will admit it or not, he’s been getting robbed left and right in trades for the last few years, and this was a trade that he needed to get right. If he couldn’t get a solid return for their captain who is also a perennial 30 goal scorer with a team friendly cap hit, it would probably be the last straw that puts his job in danger. But luckily for Bergevin, he did get a solid return from the Vegas Golden Knights for Pacioretty, and the early reaction around the league is that the Canadiens might have won this trade despite not having any leverage with the situation. Tomas Tatar is the first piece that is coming to Montreal. At 27 years old, he’s always been a fun player to watch with his breakneck speed and offensive talent but has just never been able to reach the ceiling of his potential. Vegas sent a king’s ransom to Detroit to acquire Tatar at the trade deadline with a first, second, and third-round pick in hopes that he was the last piece to complete their miracle season, but he was regularly scratched in the playoffs for underwhelming performances. Perhaps Tatar just wasn’t the right fit in Vegas, and like Pacioretty, he could benefit from a change in scenery. But Tatar is not the piece that Habs fans should be excited about. The real game-changing piece coming to Montreal is 19-year-old center Nick Suzuki, the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, who has been lighting it up for the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL. Over the last two seasons in the OHL, Suzuki 87 goals and 109 assists for 196 points in 129 games. He’s also scored 35 points in 28 playoff games. Even before he drafted, Suzuki has been called “the steal of the 2017 draft”. Suzuki is just the piece Montreal needed as they look to start the team anew, and Suzuki is a part of the upcoming prospect system that Montreal feels they can build around. With him joining 2018 third overall Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Montreal’s woes at center will be a thing of the past in a few years Add on a 2nd round pick to the trade and it feels safe to say that Montreal, at the moment at least, has won this trade. Obviously, only time will tell who wins the trade, but the potential bounce back over the next three seasons from Tatar, the massive upside of Nick Suzuki, and another prospect via draft pick on the way, the Canadiens are putting themselves in a good spot down the road. For the first time in a long time, the Canadiens finally seem to have found a direction worth going in.<doc-sep>
Golden Knights general manager George McPhee was given until 7 p.m. Sunday to hammer out a contract extension with Max Pacioretty. A deal was reached a minute before the imposed deadline. The Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, Sept. 9, signed Max to a four-year extension worth $7 million annually Monday. The Knights acquired Pacioretty from the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. (David Zalubowski/AP) Montreal Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty (67) pauses on the ice during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Arizona Coyotes Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. The Coyotes defeated the Canadiens 5-2. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee during a news conference at City National Arena Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. McPhee talked about newly acquired forward Max Pacioretty former of the Montreal Canadiens. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee during a news conference at City National Arena Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. McPhee talked about newly acquired forward Max Pacioretty former of the Montreal Canadiens. K.M. Cannon Las Vegas Review-Journal @KMCannonPhoto George McPhee was given a deadline of 7 p.m. Sunday by Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin to hammer out a contract extension with Max Pacioretty. After an afternoon of negotiating, the sides came to an agreement with a minute to spare. “This deal wasn’t going to happen if we didn’t have an extension,” the Golden Knights general manager said. With the terms in place, the Knights completed the trade for Pacioretty and announced Monday they signed the veteran left wing to a four-year, $28 million extension. The Canadiens received forwards Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a 2019 second-round pick in exchange for their captain. “He fits the personality of this club,” McPhee said. “We thought it was an opportunity that would be good for this hockey club if we could make it work. So, we went ahead and did it.” The Knights and Canadiens started to discuss a trade for Pacioretty (pronounced Patch-a-ready) following the draft in June, and talks heated up the past few days, according to McPhee. Los Angeles was set to acquire Pacioretty at the draft, but he could not come to terms with the Kings on a long-term extension and the deal fell apart. Bergevin told reporters Monday at the team’s charity golf tournament that Pacioretty requested a trade during last season. The Knights paid a steep price to land the five-time 30-goal scorer, who said last week he would not negotiate a contract extension during the season. Taking into account the three draft picks the Knights sent Detroit for Tatar at the February trade deadline, McPhee effectively gave up a top prospect (Suzuki), a first-round pick, two second-round picks and a third-rounder for Pacioretty. But the Knights remain in a strong position for the future with plenty of salary cap space ($9.4 million for this season) and a stockpile of draft picks. The Knights own their selections in the first six rounds of the 2019 draft, along with two additional choices in the third round and an extra in the fifth. They have all seven of their picks in the 2020 draft, plus second-rounders from Dallas and Pittsburgh. “I think this organization is in a very good place,” McPhee said. “We’re comfortable with what we’ve done, otherwise we wouldn’t have done it.” Pacioretty has a 10-team, no-trade clause, and his $7 million average annual salary starting in 2019-20 is the fourth-highest in the league for a left wing. Pacioretty, who turns 30 on Nov. 20, will be the Knights’ highest-paid forward based on average annual salary when the extension kicks in at the start of next season. “I think you have to look at the players and their physical makeup and their skating ability,” McPhee said, explaining the length of the extension. “When you have a guy with speed, they can typically play longer. If they lose half a step, then they’re just average instead of slow, and that makes a difference.” Knights coach Gerard Gallant was an assistant coach in Montreal for two seasons and recommended Pacioretty, whose nickname is “Patches.” Pacioretty was the subject of multiple trade rumors and, as captain, shouldered much of the blame for Montreal’s woes last season. He produced 17 goals and 37 points in 64 games before his season was cut short by a knee injury March 2 at the New York Islanders, ending a run of four straight 30-goal seasons.