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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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WINNIPEG, MB – JANUARY 30: (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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.

Hot. Wait Until the Trade Deadline. light

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.

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