The sixth member of the Montreal Canadiens to sign with a European club since the start of the NHL lockout is forward Max Pacioretty. He’s joining Ambri Piotta in the Swiss A League, according to a release here (in Italian). According to Gant Daily, Pacioretty was convinced to join the team by former NHL coach and now Ambri Piotta mentor, Kevin Constantine.
Ambri Piotta hasn’t made the league playoffs in six years, and are serious about taking advantage of yet another NHL labor stoppage to bring in strong talent and compete. Pacioretty supposedly liked this mindset, and chose them for that reason, so it’s clear that he’s not looking to use the lockout as some kind of extended vacation or anything along those lines.
Pacioretty will take on some of his teammates in the Swiss league, as Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber have both signed up for different teams within the league. Diaz will play for EV Zug, while Weber will suit up for Geneva-Servette. Other Canadiens players taking their talents overseas are Tomas Kaberle, Tomas Plekanec, and Alexei Emelin.
This story originally appeared at SBNation.com. For more on the Montreal Canadiens, go to Habs Eyes On The Prize and be sure to keep up to date on the lockout and others news from around the league at SB Nation’s main NHL hub.
