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Following knee injury, have we seen last of Max Pacioretty with Canadiens?

Montreal Canadiens v Calgary Flames

CALGARY, AB - DECEMBER 22: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens in action against the Calgary Flames during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on December 22, 2017 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)

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The Montreal Canadiens’ 6-3 win over the New York Islanders on Friday was a costly one. Both Victor Mete and captain Max Pacioretty suffered injuries during the game and have likely seen their seasons come to a close.

Mete is out six weeks after fracturing a finger while Pacioretty will be sidelined 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.

Considering Montreal’s playoff hopes have been gone for some time, have we seen the last of Pacioretty in a Habs uniform?

The 29-year-old Pacioretty still has a year left on his deal, but there’s no question he was available for the right price before last Monday’s trade deadline. He admitted that the questions about his future in Montreal wore on him, and he was glad that he was still a member of the bleu, blanc et rouge.
[What should potential Pacioretty trade look like for Canadiens?]

“It’s no surprise, my name was out there,” Pacioretty said. “I don’t know what else you guys want me to say other than I’m ready to go home and get a good night’s sleep. It’s been an emotional couple of days here and I’m happy to still be a part of this team. Moving forward, everyone has to hold themselves accountable for where we’re at right now, and I definitely do so.”

The Canadiens are in the midst of a retool and it’s anyone’s guess if Marc Bergevin, who reportedly aimed high while seeking out a Pacioretty trade, will still be the general manager by the off-season; so there will be plenty of questions moving forward about how to turn around the team’s fortunes. Montreal has a possible 10 picks in the opening five rounds of June’s entry draft, including four in the second. Those are assets that can facilitate trades to speed up the process.

But would Pacioretty be served better by a fresh start elsewhere or a clean slate in Montreal? He can sign an extension this summer, which would prevent him from entering next season as a pending unrestricted free agent. Now that he’s staying in Montreal for now, it might be a good thing for both player and management to take a step back and wait until the summer before evaluating the future.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.