Vegas Golden Knights: Not sending Pacioretty to St. Louis would be criminal

Time is running out to send Max Pacioretty to the 2020 All-Star Game and it would be scandalous if the Vegas Golden Knights forward misses out.

Teams around the NHL are campaigning for their respective stars to be sent to St. Louis via the NHL’s “Last Men-In” vote, including the Vegas Golden Knights.

Ever since the rosters for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game were announced, fans have had the opportunity to vote for one player from each division to fill the remaining spots.

For Vegas fans, that has meant hitting the vote button over and over in order to ensure Max Pacioretty is the player voted through from the Pacific Division.

There isn’t much time remaining, however, with voting due to close on Friday so this is one last rallying cry to all Golden Knights fans to do their bit and ensure that Pacioretty gets to the 2020 All-Star Game.

Because, simply put, it would be a crime if Pacioretty didn’t represent the Vegas Golden Knights in St. Louis at the end of January.

And not only because that would mean the Knights wouldn’t have a single player at the festivities due to the fact that goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has pulled out.

They will have Head Coach Gerard Gallant, however, who will be behind the bench for the Pacific Division for the second time in three years.

However, the real reason why Pacioretty not playing in the All-Star game is almost unfathomable is because of the year the veteran forward is having.

Through 46 games, Pacioretty has potted 19 goals and tallied 25 assists for 44 points, with 14 of those points coming on the power play.

He’s a +10 and his shooting percentage is 10.0 and the forward is on pace to shatter both his career-highs in assists (34) and points (67), while he could get close to the 39 goals he recorded in 2013-14.

Stats aside, the eye test also backs the fact that Pacioretty is playing the best hockey of his career, which is quite some statement given some of the seasons he put together with the Montreal Canadiens.

It is shocking enough that Pacioretty hasn’t attended an All-Star during his illustrious career, despite racking up 51 career game-winning goals and amassing 532 points (267 goals, 265 assists) in 738 career regular-season games.

So, given the year Pacioretty is carving out, it would be ridiculous if he wasn’t on the final Pacific Division roster.

And, what makes the possibility of Pacioretty remaining in Vegas for the All-Star break even more crazy is the fact that he’s way out in front when you compare him to those also hoping to represent the Pacific Division in St. Louis.

For instance, Pacioretty is ahead in points and Point Shares over his seven competitors, including the likes of Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau and Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson.

Furthermore, Pacioretty’s stats also compare favorably to those Pacific Division stars already on their way to St. Louis.

While he isn’t at the level of Edmonton Oilers duo Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, those two aren’t human anyway, Pacioretty is just a point behind Canucks phenom Elias Pettersson who is enjoying a sophomore season for the ages.

However, Pacioretty has more points than Matthew Tkachuk and Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames, and Jakob Silfverberg of the Anaheim Ducks.

And here’s an added wrinkle. It was announced today that San Jose Sharks Captain Logan Couture will miss six weeks with an ankle injury.

So, with another spot now open on the Pacific Division roster, will Pacioretty be chosen to fill it because of his superior stats compared to his competition?

And it isn’t just the stats or the eye test. It is the fact that Pacioretty has morphed into a real leader for the Vegas Golden Knights this year, stepping up to the plate both on and off the ice.

He leads by example and has ticked every single box for the Knights when it comes to what you expect from one of your big guns.

With that, let’s hope those voting do the right thing and ensure that a truly worthy candidate in Max Pacioretty gets his first taste of All-Star weekend this year.

Vote here NOW!