Montreal Canadiens: Rinat Valiev could play right now
The prospects that the Montreal Canadiens got for Tomas Plekanec may not be prospects for long. If given the opportunity, they could slide into the lineup.
It’s a widely accepted belief that the Tomas Plekanec trade was good for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto adds a quality defensive centre for the playoffs while the Habs, for the most part, add another second-round pick to the fold and two young players in Rinat Valiev and Kerby Rychel. It’s tough to gauge what these two players can do for the Habs, in the long run, seeing as they have limited NHL experience.
However, both are restricted free agents. If Valiev and Rychel were only included in the trade to move contracts, seeing as how Kyle Baun went the other way to the Leafs, then there’s nothing really to look into. The thing is though, the Habs at least know some about the RFAs they already have in the system. Sure the likes of Markus Eisenschmid and Jèrèmy Grègoire to name a few haven’t played a game in the NHL yet, but the Laval Rocket are close enough to watch them.
Valiev and Rychel are new shiny toys that the Habs can play with. Between the two, Valiev has the most potential to be an NHL defenceman. Although his role in the organization has diminished over the years with the Leafs adding more players to the Toronto Marlies, the 23-year-old is still someone who can log a lot of minutes for a team and easily play on Laval’s top pairing. That being said, he has the skating and defensive awareness to fit on a bottom pairing in the NHL.
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The 2014 third-round pick only played 10 games with the Leafs in the 2015-16 season but was called up as recently as this year. Although other defencemen have passed Valiev, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he can play.
Rychel isn’t as much of a guarantee as Valiev, but there is something undiscovered there. He was originally moved to Toronto for a fresh start and seemed to get that in the AHL. Rychel led the Marlies in scoring with 19 goals and 33 assists in 73 games despite spots of cold streaks and has continued his overall play this year. What has held him back has always been skating and consistency which has most likely kept him out of the Leafs forward pool aside from the logjam
Whether the Habs choose to use one of those emergency recalls on Rychel depends on how he plays in Laval. However, when he’s going, he’s the type of player Claude Julien would love to have. A big body who can work the boards and overpower other players who can quickly go from the forecheck to a scoring chance.
Again, it’ll depend on who else is left on the team after the deadline passes. Valiev and Rychel most likely wouldn’t get precedence over the players already with the Habs, but it would be interesting to see how they fit in the organization. Even though they’re time would initially be short, both may be good options to invest in for another year or two if the Habs choose to.
Next: The Impact of the Deadline
What do you make of the two prospects? Could Valiev fit into the Habs’ top six right now? Will Rychel ever see time in Montreal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.