NHL captain “should get ready to pack his bags.”

A very interesting rumor surrounding one of the National Hockey League's most recognizable names.

In a recentreport published at The Score, staff members listed no less than 5 players they believe are on their way out of their current situation, but it was the name of Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty that truly stood out.

According to the report the Canadiens are likely to deal Pacioretty in order to reinforce their blue line following the trade of P.K. Subban for Shea Weber and while it may initially seem shocking, it makes a great deal of sense on the surface.

First, it's been no secret that head coach Michel Therrien has a less than favorable view of his captain, and in fact there have even been rumors of some brutal statements from Therrien about Pacioretty, although the Canadiens have worked hard to deny those.

[pub]

There's also the matter of the emergence of both Alex Galchenyuk and newly acquired free agent Alexander Radulov. The Canadiens two big weapons have made Pacioretty relatively expendable, and one has to believe that a long-term extensions for Radulov is already being discussed.

At a cap hit of just $4.5 million Pacioretty is the kind of trading chip rival NHL GMs trade about, a proven 30 goal scorer at an extremely team-friendly cap hit, and that means his trade value is likely never to be higher than it is now. Marc Bergevin has already demonstrated he's not afraid to deal a big name to make his team better, and a trade of Max Pacioretty fits that bill and makes a great deal of sense.