Rumor: Max Pacioretty to the Boston Bruins?

It feels like the entire National Hockey League is waiting and seeing what both the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning will do in order to clear up their cap situations before finishing up their offseason business.

There has been rampant speculation in regards to what may, or may not, happen in the coming days and weeks as we draw closer and closer to the rumored start date of January 13th for this upcoming NHL season, and recently one former NHLer decided to throw his own thoughts into the mix over the weekend. Former Edmonton Oiler, Pittsburgh Penguin, Anaheim Duck and Florida Panther Ryan Whitney, perhaps better known to NHL fans these days for his role in the Spittin Chiclets podcast, was beside himself at the thought of his hometown Boston Bruins potentially adding a player like Vegas' Max Pacioretty.

"Going back to the names, if you're a boston Bruins fan and you find out Max Pacioretty is available you're immediately trying to think of what can we offer?" said Whitney on the podcast. "What kind of package can we put together? Can we fit his salary in? Dude a winger that can score that many goals and he's a Bruins type player, it would be an unreal move for them to try and get him."

Although the thought of Pacioretty being traded may sound a bit far fetched, his name has actually come up in recent trade rumors surrounding the Golden Knights, like those of his teammates Marc Andre Fleury and Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights have since come out and declared that they won't be trading Pacioretty, but if his name was out there it is because the Golden Knights are exploring every option at their disposal.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has been extremely patient during this current offseason, too patient for some Bruins fans in fact. The Bruins currently have just under $3 million in cap space, so it would no doubt be a tight fit considering Pacioretty's average annual value of $7 million, but some players scheduled to miss the start of the regular season due to injury could help alleviate some of those concerns.

One thing is certain, Ryan Whitney would love to see it.