Hockey Night analyst Nick Kypreos said Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin is actively shopping foward Max Pacioretty on the trade market.

"While an eventual trade may include draft picks and prospects, it's been clear to other teams that Bergevin's top priority is moving him for a top goal-scorer," Kypreos said.

Here is full video of Kypreos talking Pacioretty, Friedman chimes in as well, talks about his relationship with Julien. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/N0YJgxXsVQ — NHL Prospects Watch (@Prospects_Watch) December 31, 2017

Kypreos said he believes that Bergevin wants to acquire younger talent in any deal for the 29-year-old Pacioretty, who has scored eight goals this season and one in his past 20 games entering play Saturday (Pacioretty was held scoreless in a 2-0 loss against the Florida Panthers). Kypreos also said Bergevin will be patient, referencing how long Joe Sakic waited to move Matt Duchene.

"There is a sense that Marc Bergevin will not settle on this," Kypreos said. "If he doesn't get what he wants by the trade deadline Feb. 26, he might be willing to wait for the NHL Draft in Dallas, late June."

Kypreos' Hockey Night colleague Ron MacLean referenced a possible rift between head coach Claude Julien and Max Pacioretty, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said that one NHL general manager believes in listening to recent quotes from Pacioretty is pinning much of the Canadiens failures on himself.

"He sees it as this is a guy who is captain of the Canadiens," Friedman said. "He feels he has the responsibility to come up with some sort of answer for the media and he's just grasping at straws to try to provide reasons for why he and the team aren't going very well."

According to Friedman, the rival GM believes that Bergevin's asking price is so high because if Pacioretty left Montreal, he'd lose the burden of trying to carry a team and the lack of pressure could help him find his scoring touch again. Pacioretty is one of five skaters to record three 35-plus goal seasons the past four years.

"If he goes somewhere where he doesn't have to deal with this every day," Friedman said. "He can just worry about playing hockey and he might just take off."

After the Canadiens practiced on New Years Day, Pacioretty addressed the trade rumors.

"You just live your life and worry about your family," Pacioretty told Postmedia on Monday. "If it happens, it happens. I'm very proud of the past success I've had in Montreal. I've played here for 10 years, and I've never gone through something like this. I've gone through ups and downs, but never this low."

Pacioretty is currently in the fifth year of a six-year, $27 million contract that pays him $4.5 million annually.