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Tomas Plekanec

Trade Deadline Notes: Flames, Plekanec, Neal

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“Will GM Brad Treliving and the Calgary Flames ’pull a Hextall’?”, wonders the Calgary Sun’s Eric Francis with mere days left before the NHL Trade Deadline. Francis is referring to Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall, who recently acted quickly to acquire goaltender Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings when his top two goalies went down with long-term injuries. Treliving and the Flames are now in a similar position, with their one experienced keeper, Mike Smith, out with a groin injury and a return not imminent. Calgary is currently working with two rookie goalies, David Rittich and Jon Gillies, as they try to keep up in the Western Conference playoff race. If Treliving, like Hextall, feels that he owes his team a true starting-caliber goalie, he could hit the rental market for some help down the stretch. Options could include Buffalo’s Robin Lehner, an impending RFA and likely the top available target, Arizona’s Antti Raanta, if the Coyotes are willing to move him, a reunion with Chad Johnson, or even a lesser option albeit with more experience such as Michael Hutchinson or Andrew Hammond. However, as Francis points out after his conversation with Treliving, if the team continues to put forward lackluster performances in front of their young goalie tandem, perhaps paying the steep price to bring in an upgrade won’t be worth it. The situation is one worth monitoring as the deadline fast approaches.

  • One player expected to move before the deadline is career Canadien Tomas Plekanec. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that calls have been flooding in to Montreal GM Marc Bergevin, especially following the Derick Brassard news, inquiring into the cost of trading for the veteran center. Plekanec, 35, has seen his offense fall off dramatically over the past two seasons, but still plays a reliable two-way game and can still be an experienced asset for many teams. With the Canadiens far outside the playoff picture and Plekanec on an expiring contract, possibly headed for retirement, a deal will almost certainly be struck with an interested team. It seems the days are numbered on a relationship that began in 2003-04.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights placed James Neal on injured reserve today, per beat writer Steve Carp. While Neal is simply suffering from an illness right now, an undisclosed illness has also kept teammate Shea Theodore out of the lineup for more than a week. With forwards Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and William Carrier also on IR and an unclear picture of when Neal will return to action, one has to wonder if the Knights will take a longer look at the forward market before the deadline passes them by.

Penguins, Sharks Showing Interest In Tomas Plekanec

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The Penguins and Sharks have expressed an interest in Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports (video link).

The 35-year-old has struggled offensively this season with just 20 points (5-15-20) in 55 games but is having a career year at the faceoff dot (51.9% success rate) and has been deployed in key defensive situations which is the type of role that buying teams would likely intend to use him in.

Dec 19, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec (14) skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Canadiens 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY SportsPittsburgh’s desire to improve their third line center position has been well-known throughout the season, even with their earlier acquisition of Riley Sheahan.  Acquiring Plekanec would allow them to move the former Red Wing down to the fourth line while giving them someone to use against the top opposition forwards.  However, the Pens have very limited cap room at the moment – less than $1MM in full-season salary per CapFriendly which will present a challenge for GM Jim Rutherford.

As for the Sharks, they are without Joe Thornton for the foreseeable future so they have an opening to fill down the middle.  Kypreos notes that there is some question as to whether he will be able to return in time to play meaningful games down the stretch.  Accordingly, it’s not surprising to see San Jose have some interest in adding another center and unlike Pittsburgh, they have more than enough cap room to bring someone in.

Plekanec, who we profiled as a trade candidate last month, is in the final season of a two-year, $12MM contract and the Canadiens will likely need to retain a significant portion of that to help facilitate a move if they decide to move him.

However, it’s not a guarantee that he will be traded.  In the same segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted that Montreal may very well try to re-sign Plekanec who has only played for the Canadiens in his 14-year career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Candidate: Tomas Plekanec

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With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.

The Canadiens went into the season hoping that center Tomas Plekanec would be in line for some sort of resurgence and that he would be able to pick some of the slack to cover their offseason departures.  While that hasn’t happened, Plekanec has still been quite effective at the defensive end which should have several teams inquiring about him between now and deadline day.

Contract

Plekanec is in the final year of a two-year, $12MM deal – $6MM cap hit, $5MM salary.  He will be a UFA in July and does not have any trade protection.

2017-18

Dec 19, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec (14) skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Canadiens 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY SportsTo put it nicely, this season hasn’t gone as well or Plekanec or the Canadiens had hoped.  His goal-per-game average (0.08) is the lowest of his career and while his assist average is up slightly from last year, it’s still not at the level that is expected from someone with that type of contract.  In other words, although he is being paid like a top-six forward, the performance hasn’t been close to that level.

However, the 35-year-old has been deployed as Montreal’s shutdown center all season long and has fared relatively well in that role.  He is still one of their top penalty killers while he has improved considerably at the faceoff dot, posting his best percentage on the draw of his career (53.4%).  At this stage, he is best served as a third line checker and it’s that role that interested teams will be envisioning for him.

Season Stats

48 GP, 4 goals, 14 assists, 18 points, +1 rating, 29 PIMS, 98 shots, 16:26 ATOI, 50.8 CF%

Potential Suitors

Pittsburgh has been looking for center help all season long, even after they acquired Riley Sheahan early in the year.  Adding Plekanec – something our Zach Leach recently suggested – would give them a dependable veteran down the middle while allowing Jake Guentzel to move back to the wing on a full-time basis.  Tampa Bay should also have some interest to use Plekanec as a checker and since he’s a rental player, there shouldn’t be any concern about in-division trading.  Columbus has been looking for center help all season long and while Plekanec isn’t the top-six option they’d prefer, he would still give them improved depth and defensive play.

Out West, Winnipeg’s depth down the middle is being tested with injuries to Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry and as a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them pursue center help over the next month.  San Jose could have a vacancy to fill depending on the severity of Joe Thornton’s injury and their California counterparts in Los Angeles have a void although the eventual return of Jeff Carter could make them look to fill other holes first.  Calgary also makes some sense for upgrading Matt Stajan although it may not be justifiable to pay what could be a fairly high asking price (given the lack of centers available) to upgrade a fourth liner.

Likelihood Of A Trade

While Plekanec has publicly stated that he would like to remain with Montreal, a trade makes the most sense for the Canadiens.  They have the cap room to retain the maximum 50% of his contract which should allow more teams to get into trade discussions for him and as one of the better centers that will be available, there should be quite a few teams with interest.  Unless he agrees to a relatively cheap extension to make it worth foregoing the return a trade would yield, he should be a pretty safe bet to be on the move.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Montreal Canadiens “Very Active” As Deadline Approaches

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The Montreal Canadiens, losers of four of their last five games including three at the hands of the Boston Bruins, are now 19-22-6 on the season and well out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. In his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman reports that GM Marc Bergevin is more active than normal trying to “get something going.”

Friedman lists only Carey Price, Shea Weber, Victor Mete and Jonathan Drouin as unlikely to be traded, making the rest of the roster ripe for speculation. Max Pacioretty has obviously been in the news quite a bit recently, something Alex Galchenyuk has dealt with for years. There are also lesser-known names like Paul Byron, Andrew Shaw and Brendan Gallagher who would all draw interest as well as expiring contracts for Tomas Plekanec, Jakub Jerabek and Antti Niemi.

Montreal has had a season to forget, but Friedman points out that everyone in the league can see what Colorado is doing this year. After putting up historically bad numbers in 2016-17, the Avalanche are now on a ten game winning streak and find themselves right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff run. Montreal knows first hand what that bounce-back can be, after struggling without an injured price in 2015-16 only to return to the playoffs a year later.

If anything, the Canadiens are more likely to reload than rebuild, as Price’s huge extension kicks in next season and there is plenty of other money tied up in Weber, Drouin, Jeff Petry and Karl Alzner. Even if they do move out some significant pieces, you can bet Montreal won’t be tearing down the whole thing.

Trade Rumors: Coyotes, Canadiens, Jets, Islanders

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In all likelihood, the recent three-way trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators and Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators will be the biggest deal made this season. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the whispers of an bustling trade market, especially this early in the season. At the quarter pole of the 2017-18 campaign, it’s been an unpredictable season, prompting an unexpectedly active market. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch has had his ear to the ground and has plenty of input on who the buyers and sellers are right now:

  • To no one’s surprise, Garrioch states that the floundering Arizona Coyotes are “willing to talk about pretty much every player on their roster”. That of course doesn’t include Calder-hopeful Clayton Keller or many of their other 21-and-under starters, but the rest of the roster may as well be up for grabs. The big off-season acquisitions of Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Jason Demers have done nothing to change this team’s ability to win hockey games. At some point, GM John Chayka is going to go from “up-and-coming” to “up-and-went” and that pressure could force him to make some major moves as he rethinks his rebuild. While impending UFA’s like Raanta, Brad Richardson, and Luke Schenn would be the easiest pieces to move, the stakes are high for a Coyotes team whose core has done next to nothing for years and key pieces like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Tobias Rieder could soon be on their way out.
  • Perhaps the only team more disappointing than Arizona in 2017-18 is the farthest team from them across North America: the Montreal Canadiens. Under new head coach Claude Julien, the Habs have fallen apart. However, the newly-signed coach isn’t going anywhere, putting GM Marc Bergevin, who Garrioch calls ” the NHL’s most active GM”, on the hot seat. Bergevin may be willing to make a big move to save his job, and of course the first name that comes to mind is young forward Alex Galchenyuk, who has predictably struggled under the defense-first Julien. Galchenyuk seems lost in Montreal, without an identifiable position, role, or spot in the lineup, and could use a change of scenery. However, he is not wholly to blame for the Canadiens’ struggles. Tomas Plekanec has long been on the block and if the team truly commits to a rebuild, big names like Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber, and (if anyone is willing to take on his monstrous new contract) even Carey Price could soon join the list.
  • Garrioch mentions both the Winnipeg Jets and New York Islanders as possible sellers, but given the surprising success of both clubs thus far, neither is likely rushing to trade pieces away unless they can make their teams better this season. Impending Jets UFA’s Shawn Matthias and Matt Hendricks may draw interest, but if Winnipeg is in playoff position come deadline time, they would want veteran depth for themselves. It seems more likely that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could use his overflow of young forwards like Marko Dano, Joel Armia, Andrew Copp, Adam Lowry, or Brandon Tanev as trade bait to bring in another top-six forward for a team that doesn’t shoot the puck nearly enough. As for the Islanders, Garrioch singles out first-time UFA Calvin de Haan as the player to watch. Yet, de Haan is one of, if not the best shot-blocker in the NHL, can play major minutes, and is reliable in both ends. If the Isles can resign him, wouldn’t they? Obviously, John Tavares is the main focus and the team thinks highly of younger options like Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, but the loss of a player like de Haan, especially with Travis Hamonic now in Calgary, could cripple a playoff-bound Islanders squad. Odds are de Haan sticks around, at least as long as New York remains playoff-bound.
  • So who’s looking? Garrioch mentions the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins as suitors for forward help, with the Dallas Stars potentially looking to make another big blue line trade to turn their season around. With that many buyers and several disappointed sellers, the trade NHL trade market may not wait until 2018 to heat up.

East Notes: Van Riemdsyk, Clutterbuck, Canadiens, Bruins

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The Hurricanes have placed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk on injured reserve with a concussion, the team announced.  The concussion dates back to their season opener last Saturday when he fell and crashed hard into the boards and he did not play in their other game on Tuesday.  Though they didn’t specify it, it’s likely that the placement was backdated to last weekend which would allow them to activate van Riemsdyk as early as Sunday if he recovers quickly although he’s not currently with the team on their road trip.  Taking his place on the roster is blueliner Trevor Carrick, who has been recalled from Charlotte of the AHL.  Carrick has played three games in the minors so far this season, collecting a pair of assists.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last three games with a hip injury, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple. He may wind up replacing winger Jordan Eberle in the lineup after he missed practice on Friday with an undisclosed injury.  Staple adds that winger Alan Quine, who has been out since September 12th with an upper-body issue, was a full participant in practice and that an AHL conditioning stint could be in the works in the coming days.
  • Despite missing Friday’s practice with the flu, Canadiens winger Alex Galchenyuk told reporters, including TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link) that he will tonight against Toronto. Meanwhile, the team noted via Twitter that center Tomas Plekanec will be a game-time decision as he is also battling the flu.
  • Bruins center David Backes has started to skate and train in recent days but head coach Bruce Cassidy suggested to Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald that there is still a possibility that Backes will need surgery. Backes has yet to play this season due to diverticulitis.  Still with Boston, Cassidy noted to Harris that although center Patrice Bergeron skated on his own on Friday, he’s listed as doubtful for tonight’s game versus Arizona.

NHL Snapshots: Galchenyuk, Vanek, Callahan, Morin

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For years, the Montreal Canadiens have been known as a team that changes up their lines constantly. However, Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette writes that talk of a new combination of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Drouin could prove to be one of the stronger first lines in hockey. However, Kelly has his doubts the team would consider putting that line into effect.

To start, the talk of Pacioretty playing left wing and Drouin at right wing makes plenty sense. The 28-year-old Pacioretty has put up four straight 30-goal seasons, including a 35-goal season last year. Drouin, coming over from Tampa Bay, had a breakout year with the Lightning, putting up 21 goals and 32 assists in 73 games. The highly touted 22-year-old forward is expected play a major scoring role in the Canadiens future.

The problem, according to Kelly, is the team has shown little interest in putting Galchenyuk into that top center position over the past two years and nothing has changed. The former third-overall pick in 2012, Galchenyuk had a 30 goal season in 2015-16, but then dropped to 17 goals last year in 61 games after going down with a knee injury. The team even shopped him during the offseason.

Kelly writes no matter how much you like Tomas Plekanec, the 34-year-old is no longer in his prime and shouldn’t be considered for a number one role anymore and probably not a number two role either. After that, the scribe writes that there is little else at the center position, pointing to Phillip Danault, who had a breakout year last year, as nothing better than a No. 3 center on a good team.

The team has never allowed Galchenyuk to settle into a legitimate role on the team and has been bounced around the lineup. However, Kelly writes that a little faith and a golden opportunity could make that first line one of the strongest in the league.

  • Yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentions that “it is believed that the Vancouver Canucks are taking a look at Thomas Vanek.” The 33-year-old wing was featured in a PHR poll earlier today on where he might end up. Vancouver, so far, has only garnered 15 percent of the vote. He put up 17 goals and 48 points this past season.
  • Corey Long of NHL.com reports that Tampa Bay Lightning’s Ryan Callahan is progressing well from two hip surgeries since the 2015-16 season. He is participating in informal workouts with no limitations and hopes to be back to health this season. The 32-year-old winger managed to play only 18 games last season and hasn’t put up a quality season since his 24-goal season in 2014-15. He still has three years remaining on his contract at $5.8MM per year.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that Samuel Morin and Robert Hagg are the leading candidates to win the open defense jobs in training camp over Travis Sanheim and Phil Myers. Morin, the Flyers first-round pick in 2013, is a physical defensive blueliner who stands at 6-foot-7, 227 pounds and should provide the Flyers some much needed size. Hagg, a second-round pick in that same draft, has quite a bit of experience in the AHL and looks ready to take the next step.

 

Afternoon Notes: Canadiens, Alzner, Stalberg

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The Globe and Mail and TSN both contemplate what the future might hold for the vanquished Montreal Canadiens, following a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the New York Rangers Saturday night. Marc Bergevin could conceivably be on the hot seat in spite of his team’s Atlantic division title, but the firing of former coach Michel Therrien likely extended his tenure. The P.K. Subban trade is quite the easy target for criticism, although the squad’s defensive stats took a large leap upward since Shea Weber’s acquisition. Even Carey Price appears not to be immune from fan criticism, though it hardly seems Price could have done much more to assist his floundering offense. Max Pacioretty is sure to draw ire as well, as his 0 goals and 1 assist through 6 games was incredibly underwhelming. The team has an awful lot of contracts coming off the books, and the organizational vision will now be more important then ever. Impending UFAs include Alexander Radulov, Dwight King, Brian Flynn, Steve Ott, and Andrei Markov. Assuming Radulov re-signs, there is still a glaring need for another potent offensive weapon to assist Pacioretty. With Tomas Plekanec having only one year remaining on his deal, and Alex Galchenyuk constantly receiving demotion, strength down the middle is an issue. A top-flight center has to be at the top of the wish list for a squad that struggled so mightily to find consistent offense. Whether they can actually acquire one via trade (or some other means) remains to be seen.

  • Washington defenseman Karl Alzner will miss his fourth straight game as his team faces off against Toronto in Game 6, although he did skate with the team. Alzner sustained an upper body injury prior to Game 3, and further details are unknown. Replacement Nate Schmidt has performed admirably in his absence, although Alzner’s defensive presence and ability to eat minutes is difficult to replace. Alzner is not particularly physically dominant, but he is adept at keeping scoring chances limited and to the outside. Holtby will need to be sharp in his absence with a desperate, offensively talented Toronto team looking to fire away this evening.
  • Ottawa defenseman Chris Wideman will be replaced tonight by Fredrik Claesson. Wideman has been barely noticeable in this series, but had tallid a goal and an assist from the backend. During the season, Claesson’s Corsi numbers were slightly better than Wideman’s, while Wideman had been a little more involved offensively. Ottawa’s injured left winger Viktor Stalberg may be able to return tonight, as he is a game-time decision. The big bodied winger is known for his blazing speed and penalty killing prowess. As a veteran with 48 playoff games under his belt, Stalberg would be a welcome return to bolster Ottawa’s already formidable forward depth. It is undetermined who would sit out in his place.

Snapshots: Canadiens, Trouba, Andersen

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The Canadiens received some good news and some bad news on the injury front today.  Right winger Alexander Radulov skated on the second line in practice today and could be ready to return to the lineup tomorrow against the Oilers, notes Marc-Antoine Godin of La Presse.  Radulov is Montreal’s second leading point getter this season with 46 points in 63 games and would be a welcome addition to a team that has struggled to score with consistency over the past few weeks.

Carey Price (flu) also returned to practice but the team announced via Twitter that left winger Paul Byron is now under the weather.  Byron is in the midst of a career season and sits second on the team in goals with 16.  The team also revealed (Twitter link) that center Tomas Plekanec skated with a non-contact jersey which would put his status for tomorrow in question.  Plekanec has missed the last two games due to an upper body injury.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Although it wasn’t all that long ago that he was involved in a contract dispute, talk has already shifted to the possible contract extension that Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba could be eligible to sign as of July. The blueliner mentioned to Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press that he hasn’t given much thought to a new contract as of yet.  Trouba had been hoping to be dealt earlier this season but wound up settling for a two year bridge deal and said at that time that he had rescinded his trade request.  The injury to Tyler Myers allowed the 23 year old to play on his natural side as desired and he has responded with what is shaping up to be a career season.
  • Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen will set a career high in games played tonight against the Hurricanes with 55. He’s likely to see the bulk of the workload the rest of the season as well which should have him up near the 70 game mark when all is said and done.  While the potential for fatigue is certainly a valid concern, Andersen told Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star that he isn’t tired nor is he dealing with a lingering injury.  The 27 year old is in his first season with the Maple Leafs after being acquired in the offseason from Anaheim and aside from the beginning of the year, has given the team high quality goaltending and is a big reason why they remain in the thick of the playoff race.

Atlantic Notes: Cassidy, Radulov, Plekanec, Carrier, Kulikov

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The Bruins have played their way right back into the thick of the postseason chase under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy, going 8-2 in his first ten games behind the bench heading into play on Monday night.  Accordingly, CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty suggests that the time is right for GM Don Sweeney to lift the interim title and make him the full-time head coach.

Shortly after the trade deadline, Sweeney told reporters that he’s open to lifting the tag at the end of the season although he left the window open to do so later this season if he feels the time is right.  Haggerty argues that if the GM is already content with the idea of making the change more of a permanent one, it should be done sooner than later so there’s no opportunity for a distraction during the stretch run.

This is Cassidy’s second stint as a head coach after holding the job for parts of two seasons with Washington more than a decade ago.

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Canadiens announced via their Twitter account that Alexander Radulov is likely to miss his second straight game against the Canucks tomorrow with a lower body injury sustained after blocking a shot last week. The Russian right winger has returned to the NHL with a bang this season and sits second on Montreal in scoring with 46 points in 63 games; his 31 assists lead the team.  Additionally, the team noted that center Tomas Plekanec is listed as day-to-day although the nature of his injury is undisclosed.
  • Sabres left winger William Carrier is set to miss his 17th straight game tomorrow against the Flyers, notes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. It doesn’t appear a return is imminent either as he has yet to start skating as the bruise on his knee is not hearing anywhere near the rate the team was hoping for.  Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is also expected to sit that game out with a concussion.

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