Plekanec Poised For Breakout Season
Tomas Plekanec‘s full potential has finally been unleashed by the Canadiens. With three goals in just two games, he is poised to break out offensively over the course of this season. He has always been a consistent, reliable player for the Habs organization, but we should expect him to have a much bigger impact this season due to better line-mates and less defensive responsibilities.
On Wednesday night, Plekanec supplied the game-winning goal in a grueling back-and-forth match up with the Toronto Maple Leafs, with under a minute left to play. This after tying the game at 2-2 in the second period with a wonderfully timed breakaway shot. Pleky struck again on Thursday against the Capitols, scoring the tying goal which helped the Canadiens hold on until they could pull of the win in a shootout. He led the charge again on Saturday, registering one goal and one assist in yet another comeback win against the Flyers. Three straight games, all of which the Habs could have lost without the offensive contributions of Plekanec. Where has this guy been?
I have always been a fan of this player. I rock the # 14 on my Habs sweater. It goes back to that awful 2011-12 season when the team finished last in the Eastern Conference. Throughout that cataclysmic breakdown, it seemed as though all of the players on that team were in a collective slump. However, the one bright spot was Tomas Plekanec. It seemed as though he was untouched by the negativity around him and just laced up his skates and put up the same effort every night. Ever since then, I’ve considered Pleky to be the most consistent player on the team, a blue-collar guy who goes out and gives the same effort almost every night. He was the points-scoring leader for the Canadiens that season with 17 goals and 35 assists on a really, really bad team.
Apr 5, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec (14) enters the ice before the game against Detroit Red Wings at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
But Plekanec’s businesslike character is not the only reason he’s had such a great start to the season and will continue to do so. Two things have changed which will allow Pleky to be an offensive force for the Canadiens all year: Alex Galchenyuk and Manny Malhotra.
For the past several seasons, Plekanec has seen a revolving door of line-mates, most of which were not top quality NHL players. All respect to Brian Gionta, but it’s not surprising the Habs let him walk this past summer. Age was catching up with him, and he was no longer the 30 goal scorer he was during his days in New Jersey. Other than Gionta, Plekanec was often saddled with players not at all suited for secondary scoring roles on an NHL second line: Travis Moen; Louis Leblanc; a perennially slumping Rene Bourque. While David Desharnais was constantly able to benefit from playing with Pacioretty, Plekanec always got stuck with the leftovers, and never for long enough to build any sort of chemistry.
Furthermore, with Desharnais enjoying the lion’s share of offensive zone starts and power play minutes, and no other centre reliable enough to fill the role, Plekanec was always given the role of shutting down top opposition and playing the brunt of the penalty kill minutes. Taking most of the defensive zone draws hardly allowed him many opportunities to create offense. Nonetheless, he still managed to produce between 40 and 70 points in almost every season of his NHL career.
Oct 9, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Verizon Center. The Canadiens won 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Finally, this year, Pleky’s patience and hard work in this organization will pay off. Having Galchenyuk as a consistent line-mate gives the Czech centre a productive young star to work with. If they opt to play Pleky’s compatriot Jiri Sekac on the right side of that line (Gallagher was in that spot, but Therrien mixed things up against Washington and it worked very well), Tomas finally has legitimate top 6 partners at his wings, and two with the whole package of size, speed, and skill to boot. The offseason acquisition of Manny Malhotra will also be an indirect benefit to Plekanec’s offensive game, as Malhotra has already shown how reliable he can be in the defensive role that always had to fall on Pleky’s shoulders. That allows coach Therrien to play the Plekanec line in an offensive capacity, where Tomas and the kids can work their magic.
If this line can remain healthy, and the coach gives them more offensive opportunities, I think that Plekanec can rack up close to 70 points this season. Now he has the potential to show the league just how underrated he is.