Dec 12 Pacioretty is Ready for the Big Time

A little over a month ago, I wrote about how I agree with the comments Max Pacioretty made regarding wanting to stay with the Hamilton Bulldogs for an entire season. Pacioretty spoke about how much he was learning under head coach Randy Cunneyworth and felt that playing big minutes in Hamilton as opposed to a handful of minutes with a minor role with the big club was better for his development. Indeed, at the time I agreed with the comments. However, I don't think anyone foresaw, perhaps even Pacioretty himself, how quickly he would dominate the American Hockey League. If Pacioretty were to stay in the AHL for the entire season, it's akin to continuing to play a hockey videogame on medium difficulty and keep winning 9-1 as opposed to moving up to hard.

The stats speak for themselves. Pacioretty not only leads his Bulldogs in scoring, he leads the entire AHL with 17 goals and 15 assist in 32 games. Over his last 11 games, Pacioretty has just been on a different level from everyone else notching 13 goals and 3 assists in that span. Safe to say he's ready for the big time and it just so happens he's the perfect candidate to fill a need on the Canadiens, the elusive second-line winger.

Pacioretty's first stint with the Canadiens started off well enough but it quickly became clear that he just wasn't ready for the spotlight of playing in Montreal. He struggled with consistency and was soon relegated to a lot more bench time than he was happy with. Between the loss of confidence his first run caused and some injury-problems, Pacioretty's development was stalled. I got to the point where fans debated whether the team should fish or cut bait with Pacioretty. By all accounts, Max isn't the same player. He's taken his lumps and now appears ready to take the proverbial ball and run with it. 

For those worried that Pacioretty made his comments out of fear of failing again in the NHL if given another opportunity, there's reason to believe you have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't doubt for a second that Canadiens management have consulted with Cunneyworth and Pacioretty himself to see exactly where his head is at and where his confidence level is. Pacioretty must certainly recognize he's head and shoulders above what the rest of the AHL has to offer and is ready to take the next step in his career.

All of this hinges on exactly what role Pacioretty will play with the team. He's the big, strong skating winger with soft hands and a nose for the net that the team has dreamed about for years now and should be treated as such. He should be given every opportunity to succeed in a scoring role otherwise the team could be back at square one with his development. It's been a bumpy road in the grooming of Max Pacioretty and the Canadiens appear ready to cash in their chips with him. It could be their last shot to make something of the former first round pick. What happens next could determine whether that pick flops or flourishes. My money is on Pacioretty being here to stay.

About Will Martinez

Will Martinez runs the 'Hey, My Name is Will' blog and is a contributor for TheFranchise.ca. You can follow Will on Twitter @heymynameiswill

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