Pacioretty 'going to fit well,' Golden Knights believe

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights are excited about the addition of Max Pacioretty.

The 29-year-old forward was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday for forward Tomas Tatar, forward prospect Nick Suzuki and a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Pacioretty then signed a four-year, $28 million contract extension (average annual value of $7 million) Monday.
"How can you not be happy?" Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said. "He's a quality player. He's scored 30 goals almost every season, and those kinds of guys are rare in the League."
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Pacioretty, who was Canadiens captain since Sept. 18, 2015, had 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) in 64 games last season, missing the final 18 games of the regular season with a knee injury. He has scored at least 30 goals in a season five times, including four straight from 2013-17.
Golden Knights general manager George McPhee said Pacioretty's knee is fine heading into training camp. Their first day of on-ice practice is Friday.
"That'll be a job for us to make sure he gets back (to form)," forward Reilly Smith said. "He's a big player (6-foot-2, 206 pounds) with a quick release and he's able to fly down the lane and get his opportunities."
Defenseman Deryk Engelland said, "World-class player. He's scored a lot of goals in this league and he's played a lot of games. Being the captain of Montreal, that says a lot about a guy right there. I'm excited to get him here."
Pacioretty, who was selected by the Canadiens with the No. 22 pick the 2007 NHL Draft, played his first 10 NHL seasons in Montreal and has 448 points (226 goals, 222 assists) in 626 games. He is expected to play on the Golden Knights' second line with Paul Stastny, who signed as a free agent July 1, and Alex Tuch.

That could mean a change for forward Erik Haula, who scored an NHL career-high 29 goals last season as the second-line center. Haula could move to the third line but said he's not concerned about it.
"I think [McPhee] is just rolling with the punches," Haula said. "He's trying to do his job and get the best people out here and give us the best possible lineup on the ice, and I think he's done a tremendous job with that."
Vegas opens the preseason against the Arizona Coyotes on Sept. 16. Though it's unclear whether veterans will play, Marchessault said it'll be exciting to watch Pacioretty when he does.
"He's not only a good shooter, but he has a good work ethic. I think he's going to fit well with us," Marchessault said. "I think Vegas fans should be excited to have a guy like that."