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The Misconception of Max Pacioretty

September 21, 2016, 11:37 PM ET [25 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
When interviewed at the Montreal Canadiens golf tournament this past Tuesday, Head Coach Michel Therrien described Max Pacioretty as a power forward when discussing the team’s top line and the attributes that each player brings. There are a lot of reasons why Pacioretty is a first line winger in the NHL but a power forward is not one of them.

There is no clear consensus as to the definition of a modern day power forward. Traditionally, it is a player who is not only physical but also scores and contributes offensively. Some say that he should score a minimum of 25-30 goals and take 100 penalty minutes a season. A fighter, someone who hits hard but has soft hands around the net. Today it might mean someone who uses their body to create space. When I think of a power forward, I think about the likes of Cam Neely, Brendan Shanahan, Todd Bertuzzi, and Keith Tkachuk. For a modern take I think about Wayne Simmonds, Alex Ovechkin, Milan Lucic (from his play a few years ago).

At 6’2” and 213 lbs, Pacioretty certainly has the size to be a power forward but he rarely uses his body to initiate contact. He is though one of the league’s best goal scorers over the last three seasons. Unlike other physical players, he has never had more than 106 hits in a season (2014-2015) and the most penalty minutes he has taken in a season was 56 back in 2011-2012. According to hockeyfights.com, Pacioretty has been in only 4 fights throughout his NHL career. These are hardly the statistics of a power forward. One of Pacioretty’s criticisms is that he is not emotional enough or intense on the ice. These are also characteristics of a typical power forward.

Perhaps Pacioretty might have become more of a physical player had Chara never leveled him into the stanchion back in 2012. He was certainly drafted to be a power forward back in 2007. That he would use his size to attack and pin opponents to create space in the offensive zone. In reality 9 years later, Pacioretty uses his speed to get open and create space, not his body. His wrist and snap shots are top notch. He is not known to get into the dirty areas, that is linemate Brendan Gallagher’s role. Pacioretty can also pass and create opportunities for his linemates. His chemistry with Galchenyuk is all about the two of them finding the right balance of playmaking and scoring. Based on their play together for the last 20 games of the 2015-2016 season, it would not be farfetched to think that each of them could score at least 30 goals again and Gallagher would be just behind them.

It is unfair to Pacioretty to continuously miscast him as a power forward when he is not. Did Team USA and John Tortorella think that Pacioretty would play that role for them throughout the World Cup? It would be on them for asking him to change the way he plays, how he succeeds and scores. USA wanted to be a gritty blue collar team but they learned the hard way that it is not the way to beat Canada.

In a down season, Pacioretty was still able to score 30 goals and record 64 points, just 3 points shy of his career best from 2014-2015. Provided that he and his linemates remain relatively healthy, I have little doubt that he will be able to eclipse those numbers in the upcoming season. Just not as a power forward.

Cheers and follow along!
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