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Pacioretty facing lengthy absence with achillies injury

*Photo from Knights on Ice*
   One of the new faces in Raleigh is going to be out for a while. Carolina Hurricanes LW Max Pacioretty underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn Achilles tendon, according to an announcement by the Golden Knights.

   After undergoing the surgery, Pacioretty will be sidelined for at least 6 months while he recovers. That timeline keeps him out until likely February of 2023 at the earliest. Pacioretty has a lengthy injury history, and this is another addition to that list.

   Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said that "There's never a good time to get injured, especially when you're coming to a new place and getting in the swing of things. I know as a team we were looking forward to having him at the start of the year, as a great goal scorer, as a great player who was going to help us out. But hopefully, it's a real quick recovery and he can be with us for the second half of the season."

   With the expected timeline of 6 months, Pacioretty is a candidate to be placed on LTIR when needed. Pacioretty is on the final season of a 4 year, $28 million deal he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights. He has a modified no trade clause and has a $7 million cap hit this season. He will be a UFA at the end of the season.

   Last season with the Golden Knights, Pacioretty ended an injury riddled season with 19 goals and 18 assists. He posted a +8 plus/minus rating across 17:23 of ice time, playing in just 39 regular season games for Vegas.

   Pacioretty has spent 14 seasons in the NHL, split between Vegas and the Montreal Canadiens. In his career, he has 323 goals and 319 assists, recording a +69 plus/minus rating in 17:37 of ice time per game, playing in 850 regular season games. He has 25 goals and 24 assists in 74 career playoff games.

   Fellow Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns said of Pacioretty's injury that "There's never a silver lining for something like this. There's never a good time for it. I think it will be important for all of us to keep him involved and bring him along and make sure he feels good. It's a long road and it's not easy. None of us like to go through that stuff and it ain't fun. It's on everybody else here to make him feel good, or as good as you can, and keep him involved."

   This offseason, the Golden Knights traded both Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan to the Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations, with Vegas looking to get under the salary cap.

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