Breaking: NHL captain and top 5 goal-scorer being actively shopped

There were rumors for awhile that a National Hockey League team captain was on the trading block - but they were just that, rumors. Now we have substantiated reports that this surprising news is indeed true.

Max Pacioretty, captain of the Montreal Canadiens, and the 5th best goal-scorer in the NHL since 2011 - is being "actively shopped", per Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, confirmed by both Elliotte Friedman and Eric Engels.

“We know that Marc Bergevin, general manager of Montreal, is actively shopping Max Pacioretty,” Kypreos said on Hockey Night in Canada. “While an eventual trade may include draft picks and prospects, it’s been clear to other teams that Bergevin’s top priority is moving him for a top goal-scorer back — preferably a younger one than the 29-year-old Max Pacioretty.”

Friedman echoed these comments, mentioning a conversation he had with another general manager regarding Pacioretty.

“I just was talking to a couple of general managers about this — ‘what do you see in Pacioretty?’ and things like that — and one of them specifically pointed to a lot of the quotes that Pacioretty has had lately and the way he sees it is, he sees a guy who’s struggling as a player,” Friedman said. “He’s got one goal in 20 games, the team is struggling, obviously, they’re out of a playoff spot. And he sees it as he’s the captain of the Canadiens, he feels he is responsible to come up with some sort of answer for the media, and he is just grasping at straws to try to provide reasons for why he and the team aren’t going very well.

“And (the source) thinks that one of the reasons, as Nick said, the price is so high is that they know if he goes somewhere where he doesn’t have to deal with this everyday and he can just worry about playing hockey, he might just take off,” Friedman explained. 

“And that’s the way he sees it: Pacioretty is simply trying to find answers where there may not be any.”

There are a couple key points to take out of here - Bergevin essentially wants a younger Max Pacioretty. That would come in the form of a younger player who has proven scoring abilities but hasn't necessarily had the success that Max has had over the years just yet. Essentially, the trade would be a bonafide sniper for someone who should become the same in a couple years.

The other point to take out of this is that Pacioretty's struggles may stem from the system he plays in, and the burden of captaincy weighing down on him. This is by far his worst season, as he has only 1 goal in his last 20 games, and only 8 goals nearly halfway through the season.

The belief is that once he's free of captaincy, and is given a fresh start, he will likely return to form, as this season seems like nothing but an anomaly in an otherwise stellar career. His friendly $4.5 million cap hit for the next season also makes him extremely valuable at only age 29.

It's unknown which teams are talking to Bergevin regarding his captain, but one must imagine that most teams in a playoff position are making their pitches.