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Why would the Canadiens think about trading a productive player in the prime of his career?

At a time when free agents avoid Montreal as if it were ground zero for the plague — hello, John Tavares and bonjour, Paul Stastny — why would the Canadiens think about trading a player who wants to play here, one who has embraced the city and the pressure that accompanies playing hockey here?

Why would the Canadiens think about trading a player who has invested his time and money in making this city a better place to live through his involvement with the city’s hospitals and other charities?

These are all questions raised two years ago when the Canadiens traded P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber.

Those same questions resonate today as Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty is left dangling over his future in Montreal.

Pacioretty has one season remaining on a cap-friendly contract that will pay him US$5 million. It’s a handsome payday but in the rarefied world of pro sports, Pacioretty is underpaid and has been for most of the six-year deal. This has been a sore point for the player who fired Alex Schall, the agent who negotiated the deal.