That’s correct. The Carolina Hurricanes have granted pending unrestricted free agent Max Pacioretty permission to speak with other teams. Pacioretty, 34, is coming off a season in which he scored 19 goals and 29 assists in 37 games for the Hurricanes. He was acquired by Carolina in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights last July.
Pacioretty is a six-time 30-goal scorer and has 642 points (323 goals, 319 assists) in 850 career NHL games. He is a pending unrestricted free agent and is expected to command a multi-year contract in the $5-6 million per season range.
The Hurricanes are interested in bringing Pacioretty back, but they are also facing salary cap constraints. They have several other pending free agents, including Andrei Svechnikov, Vincent Trocheck, and Tony DeAngelo.
Pacioretty is expected to have a number of suitors on the open market. Some of the teams that could be interested in him include the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Boston Bruins.
The Hurricanes have until July 13 to sign Pacioretty to a new contract. If they are unable to reach an agreement, he will become an unrestricted free agent and will be free to sign with any team.