Bergevin is a fool. Pacioretty is worth more to the Canadiens than anyone else. He should have kept his trap shut and tried to keep Max or move him to a desperate team or contender at the right time.
That said, the problem with Pacioretty is this...
1. He (meaning Max and his agents) think he's worth top end money because of his goal stats alone. Unfortunately, too many teams have been burnt by signing soft players to hefty contracts, based on previous performance, and they may be wising up. Look at Bobby Ryan for example.
2. The media keeps spinning nonsense like, "Only Alex Ovechkin and blah, blah, blah, have scored more goals than Max Pacioretty..." and, while that may be true, quality GM's aren't falling into that trap. Pacioretty is as soft as toilet paper and publicly started boo hooing about not being able to handle the pressure in Montreal, etc. That is the kiss of death from a heart / leadership / intensity standpoint.
What GM is going to give up a premium trade package and sign a player like that for big-time money? Doug Wilson already made that blunder when he signed Evander Kane to a 54 year, 9 trillion dollar deal this summer.