NHL Rumors: Long Recovery Time For Hurricanes' Max Pacioretty

After the Carolina Hurricanes were able to acquire Max Pacioretty from the Vegas Golden Knights in the offseason for nothing in return, it was a huge win for them. This turned into an achilles injury that kept the sniper out until recently when he was able to return.

Unfortunately, Pacioretty was just able to play five games for the Hurricanes this season before suffering a second achilles injury. In those five games he scored three goals and was going to add a lot of scoring to one of the best teams in the NHL. Pacioretty is facing 8-9 months of recovery from his achilles procedure, per Chris Johnston, and may not suit up for the Hurricanes again.

Pacioretty revealed that he would like to sign an extension with the Hurricanes before he had played a game for them. The team wanted to wait to see if he meshed with their group and to see his value. He won't get any more of a chance this season before he becomes a UFA, so the Hurricanes might pass on him.

The Hurricanes will now have a ton of open cap space to acquire a top-six forward at the deadline. I don't think they are too picky considering they need a center upgrade or to fill a hole on the wing. There are rumours involving Timo Meier, so the team may be looking at bringing in a younger player than Pacioretty and keeping him around a while. If the Hurricanes do bring in a forward with term, expect Pacioretty to be playing elsewhere next season, if at all.