Montreal Canadiens: Thoughts on the trade interest from Pittsburgh and San Jose
By Omar L
It looks like the Montreal Canadiens are getting trade interest from the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks for Tomas Plekanec weeks ahead of the Deadline.
Max Pacioretty has been the only name from the Montreal Canadiens linked to teams, but after Hockey Night in Canada last night, we have teams for Tomas Plekanec. According to Nick Kypreos, who has been a nice link for trade talk around the Habs lately, the 35-year-old is drawing trade interest from the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks.
Both teams make perfect sense. Ray Shero has still been looking for centres after already acquiring Riley Shehan from the Detroit Red Wings earlier in the season. Carter Rowney is currently slotted in as the fourth line centre for the Penguins but has had his struggles defensively. He’s definitely been a downgrade from Matt Cullen who effectively centred there last season deep into the playoffs despite his age.
If the Penguins are looking for more defensive responsibility on their bottom nine, then Plekanec would be a good addition. He wouldn’t be looked upon for offence making his role more focused. Plekanec may lack some jump than what he had in year’s past, but Pittsburgh’s centre depth would be shored up with him in it.
The same thing goes for the Sharks who just lost Joe Thornton to injury. San Jose has had their struggles defensively since Jumbo Joe went down. Scoring goals wouldn’t be a problem but more often than not the Sharks would allow their opponents to come back. Not only would a defensive player help them in the playoffs, but they still need to keep their spot in the standings secure.
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What the Habs get in return for Plekanec for will be interesting. San Jose doesn’t have either their second or third round pick at this year’s draft. That could be a problem considering Montreal is looking for as high as a second in return for the veteran.
Perhaps Marc Bergevin settles for their fourth-round pick and a middling prospect, but it’ll depend on what Pittsburgh offers assuming their the only two teams in the running. The Penguins still have their second round pick so that could put them higher in the running to acquire Plekanec.
It’s tough to place. Jim Rutherford has never shied away from making a splash in the trade market. That’s not to say that Plekanec is that splash, but if the Pens GM is certain that he can help, then the move will be made.
For now, only time will tell, but if this is any indication of how the deadline will go for the Habs, the longtime Montreal Canadiens centre doesn’t have too much time on the team left.
Where do you think Plekanec will go? What kind of return could he get from either team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.