With their 11 picks in the draft last weekend, the Montreal Canadiens took seven centermen. The hope is that one or two of them, along with 2017 first-round pick Ryan Poehling, will be able to fill the massive void down the middle of the ice someday.
But that day is not today. And that’s why the Canadiens repatriated a 35-year-old Tomas Plekanec for a one-year deal worth $2.25 million. So a player who would be challenged to crack the fourth line on many teams in the NHL will have every chance to be on the second line with this one.
These are dark days in Montreal, despite the presence of veteran stars such as Shea Weber and Carey Price, and they might get even darker before this organization begins to see some light. So having a responsible, calm and poised veteran such as Plekanec around to lead this team through a rebuilding phase is a good thing. There is obviously a good history there and Plekanec has built up an enormous amount of goodwill.
Will he help the Canadiens popgun offense? Well, not unless he dramatically recaptures his scoring touch. He had just six goals in 60 games for the Canadiens last season, then zero in 17 games after being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline before scoring two goals in the Leafs’ six-game loss to the Boston Bruins in the first round.
But Plekanec can still play some pretty decent defense. Despite struggling against Boston on faceoffs in the playoffs, Plekanec is still better than 50 percent in the dot and has the hockey sense and ability to angle that make up for declining skills. And with the Leafs there never seemed to be much of a place for him. With Montreal, he’ll get more responsibility and ice time.
And it’s interesting to note that, as was the case with his last deal, Plekanec did not receive a no-move or no-trade clause with this deal. But as was also the case last year, there is no way Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is going to deal him at the deadline without his approval. That’s what happened last season when he went to the Leafs in what was actually a pretty good haul – marginal prospect Kerby Rychel and Ranet Valiev and a second-round pick in 2018, which they used to select center Jacob Olofsson.
If Plekanec agrees to move at the deadline this coming season, perhaps the Canadiens can once again parlay him for another asset or two, then re-sign him to another one-year deal in 2019. Wash, rinse, repeat. If not, at least Plekanec will be able to finish his solid career playing for the organization where it all started.
