Montreal Canadiens: Tomas Plekanec will be coveted

Offense No Longer Part Of His Game

While Plekanec no longer has the offensive abilities he once possessed he still has a lot of positives that a playoff team would covet. He is a very defensively responsible player (coaches love that), gets under the skin of his opponents, is good on faceoffs, and on an expiring contract.

We all know how bad the Habs have been this season and as usual, Plekanec plays against every opponent’s top line top center in the league. While doing so, Plekanec is actually a plus player. Yes, plus/minus has its flaws, but that has to count for something when you’re playing against the best.

Not only is Plekanec responsible defensively but he is quite annoying to play against. His sneaky whacks, thwaps and yaps consistently get under his opponent’s skin. David Krejci and Sidney Crosby can attest to that.

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Good on Draws

Sitting at a 53.4% faceoff winning percentage, Plekanec has been better than he ever was on the draws. He’s a career 49.9% in that department so it’s possible that he may be benefiting from the new stricter rules in the faceoff circle.

Who has been the Habs best player this season? Most won’t have any issue saying it’s been Brendan Gallagher. Who has been Gallagher’s center this season? Yup, Plekanec. Despite taking most of their draws in the defensive zone, Pleky’s ability to win them in combination with his defensive mindset has allowed Gallagher to focus more on his offensive game. Ask any winger who’s having a good season and credit will always be given to his center.