Capitals make final decision on Max Pacioretty ahead of deadline

The Washington Capitals have sold off some of their spare parts at the trade deadline, but rumors recently came through suggesting that they would consider trading veteran forward Max Pacioretty. While they fielded trade calls throughout the day for him, Washington won’t be moving Pacioretty, meaning he will stay put in Washington for the rest of the season.

Via Frank Seravalli:

“Sources say Capitals’ Max Pacioretty is staying in Washington.”

Washington signed Pacioretty to a one-year deal this past offseason, but he hasn’t been as productive as they would have hoped for him to be. Pacioretty has only played in 26 games so far, racking up just three goals and 12 assists during that time, which is a far cry from the figures he put up earlier in his career.

With the Capitals playoff hopes fading, and Pacioretty not contributing as expected, it made sense for them to explore trading him, even though they just signed him a few months ago. However, Washington didn’t get any offers that were to their liking, and they decided to hold onto the veteran forward for the remainder of the season.

Holding onto Pacioretty isn’t an awful idea, as he could end up bouncing back over the final few weeks of the season, but it would have been nice for the Capitals to get something in return for him while they could have. It’s best not to force moves at the deadline, though, which it why is was probably a good idea for Washington to stand tight and hold onto Pacioretty.