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

By Omar L

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens fires a shot against the Nashville Predators in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens fires a shot against the Nashville Predators in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 10, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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Montreal Canadiens
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 10: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The latest Montreal Canadiens roundtable where we discuss potential NHL debuts, a role for Matthew Peca, and Tomas Plekanec’s performance bonuses.

August can’t go by fast enough, huh? We’re nearly right smack in the middle of the longest feeling summer month, and then the NHL gets started for the 2018-19 season. Although many have already jumped at the chance to predict where the Montreal Canadiens will finish, there are still many things that can factor into how the team performs.

But if it is another ‘bottom of the barrel’ finish for the Habs this season, at least there will be some things besides, the growth of the young players already expected to be on the team, to look forward to.

The 2017-18 season saw two Montreal Canadiens players make their NHL debuts. Victor Mete was named to the team right at the start of the year while Noah Juulsen didn’t get his call until late February after the Jakub Jerabek trade. With youth being a new focus within the organization, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the number of players who play their first NHL game in a Habs uniform jump.

Other interesting points involve both Matthew Peca and Tomas Plekanec. Peca is a newcomer receiving a two-year contract during Free Agent Frenzy. Although the easiest spot is to have him on the fourth line, perhaps there’s a way that he slots higher in the lineup as the season goes on.

Plekanec was a July 1st signing as well, but Habs fans have known what he’s all about. Seeing him play his 1000th NHL game as a member of the Montreal Canadiens will be special, but so will keeping track of how many of those performance bonuses he winds up adding to his salary. The 35-year-old has the potential of earning an additional $1.25 million if he hits all five of them. Whether that happens or not is up for debate and one of the topics of our roundtable this week.

  • Mock I: Max Pacioretty trade situation, 2018 draft standouts, remaining RFAs
  • Mock II: Expectations for Max Domi, players set to have breakout seasons, cap space left to work with
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