Caps Sign Pacioretty

Washington has signed veteran NHL left wing Max Pacioretty to a one-year deal at a base salary of $2 million. The pact also contains performance bonuses that could double his income to $4 million if all incentives are reached.

Last season, Pacioretty was limited to just five NHL games because of an Achilles' injury. The fact that he spent over 100 days on injured reserve in the previous season, has played over 400 games in the NHL and is signing a one-year deal enables Pacioretty to sign a contract with performance bonuses included.

Pacioretty is still recovering from the aforementioned injury and is not expected to be ready to return to active duty in time for Washington's season opener on Oct. 13 against Pittsburgh.

A 34-year-old native of New Canaan, Conn., Pacioretty was a first-round pick (22nd overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 NHL Draft. He broke into the NHL in 2008-09, and has totaled 326 goals, 319 assists and 645 points in 855 career games.

Pacioretty spent the first 10 years of his NHL career with the Canadiens, and he captained that squad for each of his last three seasons on Montreal. Pacioretty has scored 20 or more goals in eight of his 15 NHL seasons, exceeding 30 goals in six of those campaigns. Beginning in 2013-14, Pacioretty had a run of four straight seasons with 30 or more goals. From 2013-14 through the 2020-21 season - a span of eight full NHL seasons - Pacioretty's total of 236 goals ranked seventh in the NHL.

Pacioretty spent four seasons in Vegas before being traded to Carolina ahead of his ill-fated 2022-23 season with the Hurricanes.