Montreal captain Max Pacioretty was the subject of much trade speculation around the NHL trade deadline. The perennial 30-goal scoring winger was struggling through a subpar season and the downtrodden Canadiens clearly needed to rebuild.
Ultimately Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin held out for a high price, didn’t get the talented young center he sought in return . . . and now Pacioretty is sidelined by a knee injury, perhaps for the rest of the season. Officially his injury is listed as a four-to-six week issue.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester also saw his name pop up in the rumor mill as the trade deadline neared. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong opted to bail on the season.
He moved Paul Stastny and his expiring contract in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets and also explored the market for Bouwmeester and forwards Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund.
But now Bouwmeester, like Pacioretty, is shelved by injury. After struggling with a nagging hip problem for several weeks, he shut down Monday.
Pacioretty and Bouwmeester could both be trade targets again this summer. Pacioretty, who produced 17 goals and 20 assists in 64 games this season, has one more season left on his contract with a $4.5 million salary cap hit.
He scored 30 or more goals in his previous five full NHL seasons. At 29, Pacioretty figures to get one more big-money contract during his career. The Canadiens are unlikely to give him that.
Bouwmeester, 34, is one of the NHL’s most respected defensive defensemen, logging big minutes in tough scenarios. He has one year left on his contract, too, with a $5.4 million cap hit. The Blues are in the midst of a youth movement and unlikely to pay that.
Elsewhere on the injury front, rookie Canadiens defenseman Victor Mete will miss six weeks with a broken finger and veteran Blues forward Scottie Upshall will miss at least a month with a sprained knee.
The Blues were already playing without defenseman Joel Edmundson, who is still recovering from a broken arm. In the meantime rookie defensemen Vincent Dunn and Jordan Schmaltz are playing an increasingly important role.
