The Washington Capitals announced on social media that forward Max Pacioretty would make his debut with the club on Wednesday night as the Capitals host the New Jersey Devils.
The 35-year-old Pacioretty signed a one-year deal with the Capitals in the offseason, coming off a turbulent single campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes. After being traded to the Hurricanes from the Vegas Golden Knights in July 2022, Pacioretty suffered a torn achilles during an off-ice workout, sidelining him until January 2023. After playing five games with the Hurricanes, Pacioretty again suffered a torn achilles, effectively ending his season and his time with Carolina.
Once Pacioretty takes a shift with the Capitals, it will officially mark his 16th NHL season. Taken 22nd overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Pacioretty has scored 326 goals and 319 assists for 645 points in 855 career games played between the Hurricanes, the Golden Knights and the Canadiens, whom he would captain for three seasons.
Pacioretty has six 30-goal and 60-point seasons through his career, five with the Canadiens and one with the Golden Knights. He was named an All-Star during the 2019-20 season, and won the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy in 2011-12 after producing 33 goals, 32 assists for 65 points.
The Capitals are 18-11-6 with 42 points through 35 games this season, fifth in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division, currently holding the second Wild Card spot. They have the second-lowest amount of goals in the league with 85 and have the worst goal differential for any of the teams holding a playoff spot.
Forwards Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin lead the team in points with 22 each, but the 37-year-old Ovechkin is having one of the worst statistical starts of his career, only scoring eight goals in 35 games this season.
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