After Nearly 2 Years On The Couch, Pacioretty Is Finally Playing Meaningful Hockey Again With The Capitals. That's Why He Stayed In D.C.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Just over a month ago, with the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline ticking down, the Washington Capitals were reportedly set to send Max Pacioretty to the New York Rangers, giving the 35-year-old a chance to go to a guaranteed contender and compete for a Cup after back-to-back torn Achilles held him out for the better part of two seasons. However, he declined to waive his no-movement clause, electing to stay in D.C.

Why? For one reason or another, he still felt something special, belief building in the room, and he felt there was still unfinished business to take care of.

"I think at the trade deadline, every person in the world kind of had us out of it," Pacioretty, who signed a one-year deal to joint D.C. in July, told The Hockey News . "When you're sitting on a couch for the better part of two years, these are the times of the season and the games that you miss playing the most."

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Since then, Pacioretty has helped Washington fight its way back into the second Wild Card spot, and with two games left on the regular season slate, the underdog group may just be able to pull it off after surviving a six-game losing streak.

"Despite the results, I really enjoyed playing these intense games with a lot of emotion," he added. "That's why we play."

Pacioretty himself has points in three of his last four games and his 19 assists since returning to the lineup rank fourth on the team. For the former Montreal Canadiens captain, it's all part of the job.

"I've only had a few years where these last games are meaningless in a negative way. As a competitor, you always want to have meaning to these games, and we've given ourselves a chance here to make a run for the playoffs," Pacioretty said. "And like I said, that's what you enjoy doing the most is playing these emotional games."

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The Capitals practice on Sunday before embarking on one last, do-or-die back-to-back series against the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers to close out the regular season. Both games are a must-win if Washington wants to compete for the Cup, and Pacioretty said that the room is feeling confident in light of recent struggles.

"We don't have another choice... We don't have really enough time to get down or feel sorry for ourselves," Pacioretty said. "We've got to make sure we just keep pushing on a personal level."

At the end of the day, Pacioretty is just happy to be back playing significant hockey, and that, as well as his family, is what kept him in D.C. Now, it's time to make that choice count.

"It's been a lot of fun. Our group has battled," Pacioretty said. "We obviously had a lot to prove, especially a lot of veterans in here who have been there before. We're not doing it perfectly as of late, but we've also given ourselves a chance to make the playoffs."