Montreal Canadiens: Making NHL debuts, Matthew Peca’s role, Plekanec bonuses

1) How many players in the Montreal Canadiens organization make their NHL debut this season?

Wesley Smith: I think there are a couple of players that will make their NHL debuts with the Montreal Canadiens this upcoming season. The first player is Jesperi Kotkaniemi who may make the team out of training camp, which is to be expected when you’re selected third overall. The second player which I suspect will be making his NHL debut this season, although the chances are slim, will be Jake Evans. I’ve spoken about this player in past articles, and I believe he has a high upside. He put up great numbers throughout his NCAA career with the University of Notre Dame and was a force during the Frozen Four. Evans will likely start this season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket and as he continues his development, could possibly get a call-up to the NHL if (when) the Canadiens are out of the playoff picture

Zachary Cook: Depending on how training camp goes, I do expect Jesperi Kotkaniemi to get nine games, and then head back to Finland. There’s one. I’m curious to see how Jake Evans looks at camp this year, and how he progresses with Laval. If things are ahead of schedule, it wouldn’t shock me to see him get a few games after the trade deadline, or if the injury bug strikes again. The Canadiens currently have so many bodies on defence that it would surprise me if any made the jump. Therefore, I’ll stick with two.

Kamal Rehman: I’m going to say eight and of that eight, none will be the players every Habs fan would love to see with the big club. Of course, I am talking about Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling. Letting them mature and develop in Finland and the NCAA respectively will be better for the future Montreal Canadiens centres in the long run. I am pretty sure we will see the two newly signed Czech defensemen Michal Moravcik and David Sklenicka. I don’t know if they’ll make the club out of training camp but with injuries, we might see them get the call-up. Youngsters like Jake Evans, Will Bitten, Lukas Vejdemo, Hayden Verbeek, Alexandre Alain, and Jeremiah Addison might make their NHL debuts later in the season.

Omar White: The easiest answer is Kotkaniemi who I think is going to get at least nine games to start the year. The Habs signed him to an entry-level contract fairly quickly when they could’ve waited, allowing him to participate in both the Rookie Tournament in September and training camp. Whether he remains on the team past the threshold will depend on how well he fairs in that small window, but Kotkaniemi has done enough in the last two months to warrant a look.

Other options will have injuries play a role, but I do think Daniel Audette is a player the Habs should bring up at some time. Audette is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and has had a decent impact in his two AHL seasons. There’s a lot of skill that comes with his style of play, and hopefully, he isn’t buried underneath the number of new faces expected to play on the Laval Rocket this year.

Audette is someone the Habs should evaluate first-hand and not just allow to leave without a qualifying offer at the end of the year. If there’s something there, great, give him a one or two year deal and see where that goes.

2) Is there a way Matthew Peca plays in the top six?

WS: I fully think that Matthew Peca has the potential to be a legitimate top-six forward in the NHL, whether that potential is reached is completely up to him. The 25-year-old played mainly in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch scoring 46 points in the 63 games he played. I believe that Peca could play in the top-six on Montreal at this point as I write this. Peca doesn’t score goals at a very high rate, but he passes the puck and skates wonderfully. When he makes the Canadiens, whether that is out of training camp or being called up at some point throughout the season, he will stick and probably play higher than we all expect.

ZC: Have you seen the Canadiens center depth? There’s always a chance. But in reality, if there are no injuries or major disappointments, it would surprise me to see Peca in the top-six. Phillip Danault, Jonathan Drouin and potentially Max Domi would be better fits down the middle in the top six for the Montreal Canadiens, but stranger things have happened. And Peca’s skillset could cause for a breakout season as I’ve mentioned in the past. There’s always a way to play yourself into a higher role, I would just prefer to see Peca consistently on the third line.

KR: I could see this happening. Not breaking news, but the Habs aren’t deep at centre. Lack of depth and injuries could see Peca playing in the top six. Also, he could just play himself there. If Julien likes what he brings to the table Claude Julien will reward him with ice time. Seeing Peca in the top six won’t surprise me at all.

OW: Again, it depends on the health of the Montreal Canadiens centre core. Peca has skill, there’s no doubt about that, so much so that I’m really interested to see how he plays with someone like Charles Hudon who crunches out shots and scoring chances. But at this point, he’s going to be relegated to a bottom-nine role.

It would take a well-played season and an injury to Drouin to get him out of that section of the lineup. If it was Danault who gets hurt at any point of the year, Plekanec would have seniority and see the increased ice time (and do what you will with that potential decision). On the other hand, we’ve seen Claude Julien give young players a chance when they deserve it, so perhaps it happens.

3) How many of those performance bonuses does Tomas Plekanec hit this season?

WS: Tomas Plekanec is beloved by most of the fanbase in Montreal however he doesn’t possess the same skill set he had when he was a 25-year-old playing at a high level. But as it stands right now, Plekanec is a nice fit on the fourth line with maybe potential as the third line center. Plekanec probably isn’t meeting all of his bonuses if any at all. However, as I said he is a heart and soul player for the Montreal Canadians and he will be beloved once again, but will not perform very well.

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ZC: It wouldn’t surprise me to see Plekanec hit every bonus in his contract this season, except the Habs making the playoffs. 10 goals OR 25 points is completely sustainable for Plekanec, even with a lesser role than in his past tenure with Montreal. Plekanec also has been relatively healthy for his career, knock on wood of course, so the games played bonuses of 30, 40 and 50 should work in his favor. Just really, don’t count on the playoffs bonus, you’re only fooling yourself.

KR: If there is a games played bonus I can see him getting that. Tomas has always been generally healthy and durable. Offensive bonuses? As glad as I am at seeing Plekanec in the blue, blanc et rouge and with a goatee again, his offense disappeared long ago. I think Dwayne Johnson was known more for the “People’s Elbow” than his box office smashing when Plekanec’s offense dried up. I think Gordon Ramsay was known more for Hell’s Kitchen than well…you get the idea. I like Plekanec, but I don’t expect much from him on the scoring front anymore.

OW: In total, Plekanec gets an additional $250,000 for playing 30, 40, and 50 games, putting up ten goals or 25 points, and if the Montreal Canadiens make the playoffs for the 2018-19 season. There’s a good chance the veteran hits five of the six. You’d be asking Plekanec to play at least 60% of the season which he has done throughout his career locking in $750,000.

The point totals may be tricky as Plekanec has seen his offensive production decrease, mostly in the last two years. He had 24 points in 60 games with the Habs and only added 2 more assists in his 17 games with the Leafs. Then again, that could change based on who Plekanec lines up with. There’s potential for him to add some helpers with Paul Byron and Nikita Scherbak for example. Not to mention the chance of getting a point or two shorthanded, most likely from a Byron breakaway.

The $250,000 bonus for making the playoffs looks to be the one furthest from Plekanec’s grasp. However, he believes the team can get back into playing games late in April. Does that happen? We’ll have to wait and see.