Canadiens legend Lafleur softens criticism of Pacioretty, still puzzled by Vanek

Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur expanded on his comments criticizing the playoff effort of Max Pacioretty and Thomas Vanek, softening his assessment of Pacioretty but remaining perplexed by Vanek's effort.

“The Canadiens have some good young players, and a guy like Pacioretty got some more experience,” Lafleur told reporters at the Guy Lafleur Awards of Excellence presentation on Wednesday. “He played more games in the playoffs and he’ll come back next year and I’m sure he’ll play differently in the playoffs.”

Lafleur acknowledged Pacioretty's strong season but says the expectation will be there from now on for him to keep scoring in the playoffs.

"In our day, Jimmy Roberts or Rick Chartraw used to score some big goals and when you’re on the bench watching these guys you know you have to do something," he said. "Maybe (they needed) more effort. I’m not saying Max played bad, but he didn’t play to his potential."

Lafleur feels Vanek - a pending free agent - should have gone "through the boards" trying to earn his next contract, pointing to young Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher as an example of the effort Vanek should have shown.

"I was watching the game at home and I was getting pissed off. I was mad. I don’t understand it," Lafleur said. "If I’m a player today and I’m playing out my option, I’d go through the boards to get $2 or $3 million more. At least get all the good things on your side to use when you negotiate a new contract."

Vanek, 30, will be looking for a new contract as an unrestricted free agent after earning $50 million over the last seven seasons.