Pacioretty, a 33-year-old forward, had 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games last season, missing significant time because of a lower-body injury and wrist surgery. He has one season remaining on a four-year, $28 million contract ($7 million average annual value) he signed with Vegas on Sept. 10, 2018.
"I'm hoping that's in my past," Pacioretty said Thursday. "I'm doing everything I can to move on from that. I'm 100 percent.
"I'm really looking forward to it. As soon as the dust settled and we focused on the hockey aspect of it, I really got excited about what's in front of me, this opportunity. I'm getting myself into a hardworking team that wants to win hockey games. Everyone talks about the coach (Rod Brind'Amour) being one of the best in the League, if not the best. There's | Fantasy spin]*
It was the second significant trade the Hurricanes made Wednesday. They
acquired defenseman Brent Burns
and forward Lane Pederson from the San Jose Sharks for forward Steven Lorentz, goalie prospect Eetu Makiniemi, and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Burns, a 37-year-old defenseman, had 54 points (10 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games for the Sharks last season. He has three seasons remaining on the eight-year, $64 million contract ($8 million average annual value) he signed with San Jose on Nov. 22, 2016.
The Sharks will retain 33 percent of the remaining salary.
"Brent has been an elite offensive defenseman in the NHL for a long time," Waddell said. "He has produced at a consistent level throughout his career, and we believe adding him brings us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."
Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (No. 20) of the 2003 NHL Draft, Burns has 777 points (227 goals, 550 assists) in 1,251 regular-season games, and 62 points (20 goals, 42 assists) in 94 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He is the Sharks leader in goals (172), assists (422), points (594), power-play goals (54) and power-play points (205) among defensemen.
"You always look at age, but everybody ages differently," Waddell said. "This is a big man who's played a lot of minutes and been very durable through his career. We think he's got at least three more real good years in him as he reaches the age of 40."
Carolina (54-20-8) finished first in the Metropolitan Division last season, but it was eliminated in seven games by the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Second Round.
NHL.com independent correspondents Paul Delos Santos and Kurt Dusterberg contributed to this report
