Montreal Canadiens: Tomas Plekanec will be coveted
By Kamal Rehman
Pending UFA Status Should Yield a Good Return
A big reason for Plekanec to be traded is that he is coming to the end of his two-year, $12M deal and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The Czech native would make an ideal rental player for a club looking for a solid defensive player, who is good on face-offs and can not only play against the other team’s top center but be able to shut down said center.
Considering what Martin Hanzal (packaged with Ryan White) brought the Arizona Coyotes last year at the deadline it is quite possible that Plekanec can be had for a late first round pick and quite easily a second round pick. The Habs need all the picks they can get to help with this reset.
Teams won’t expect offense from Plekanec, but the other assets he brings are valued by a lot of teams for a long playoff run. Pleky on a contending team would ideally slot in as a club’s third center with little worries about providing offense.
Time to Say Goodbye
Considering the expiring contract, the Habs meager playoff hopes and Plekanec’s defensive play I would say that the countdown is on for his final days in a Canadiens jersey. Like Andrei Markov, another Hab will just fall short of playing all 1000 games with one team. Of course under different circumstances.
As a long time Canadien I think fans will be sorry to see Plekanec go, but in this situation, they will completely understand why he has to move on. It will be a bittersweet departure when we hear that Pleky has been traded.
I’m going to miss that turtleneck. Admit it, you will too.
Kamal Rehman is also the co-host and writer of the HabsFan vs LeafsFan podcast, a FanSided Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs show on Blog Talk Radio. You can also follow him on Twitter at @HabsVsLeafs and @kamalrehman10.