Montreal Canadiens: Tomas Plekanec is going to the Worlds
By Omar L
Tomas Plekanec may not be on the Montreal Canadiens right now, but the World Hockey Championships may be his final destination before returning in July.
It was no secret that the Tomas Plekanec trade was going to be a revolving door. Move to Toronto, play there for a month or two, possibly three if they’re lucky, and re-sign with the Montreal Canadiens during free agency. With the Toronto Maple Leafs eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, Plekanec will have a lot of downtime until then.
However, instead of taking a break and relaxing, the 35-year-old is getting back on the ice as he’s confirmed to be taking part in the 2018 World Hockey Championships for Team Czech Republic. Plekanec will have teammate Frederik Andersen and will have the chance to compete against former teammates in Charlie Lindgren (USA) and Jacob de La Rose (Sweden). The Czech Republic are rarely the favourites going into international tournaments, but it will be a good experience for Plekanec.
The jury is out there on whether he has anything to prove. Before his spotlight game against the Bruins in Game Three, Plekanec was the well-wide receiver of the Toronto toilet seat. The words ‘phantom’ and ‘ghost’ were constantly used to describe his contributions to the team after the acquisition, but it was when the Czech native was challenged to shut down Boston’s top line that brought out his best.
It continued throughout the remaining four games even though Toronto ended up getting eliminated. Playing at the Worlds will be a good way for Plekanec to show that those performances weren’t a fluke. NHL scouts and representatives for each team will be there, including from Montreal, and if there is any doubt about his capabilities, he can quickly clear them up.
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