Optically, there’s a difference between wanting to trade a player and needing to trade a player. A team may feel that moving on from a member of their organization will put them in a better position moving forward. It could also be an opportunity to add other pieces in exchange for the player.
The atmosphere around the Max Pacioretty situation has taken a turn in the last 24 hours. Despite the number of rumours around the captain, we sit here in July with him still being part of the Montreal Canadiens.
Pacioretty wasn’t having his best season, and a transaction may have been something that helped both parties.