The thought of adding a centre to the mix quickly became an uneasy one for many fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With Luke Glendening – a pivot with dollar, term and, perhaps most harrowing,adidas Mike Condon jersey, a champion in Mike Babcock – being discussed by pundits as
a potential deadline acquisition,adidas Craig Anderson jersey, how could you blame them?
With the cap crunch looming as the hourglass continues to empty on the entry-level deals of Auston Matthews,adidas James Neal jersey, and William
,Mitch Marner
Nylander, a significant investment in the sort of player that doesn’t belong on the front line wouldn’t represent sound decision making.
But pre-deadline angst has since been pacified by Lou Lamoriello and Maple Leafs brass, as it was announced that the club had acquired a
pure rental asset in Tomas Plekanec from the Montreal Canadiens (yes,Authentic Marc-Andre Fleury jersey, the Montreal Canadiens) a little over 24 hours before all rosters
must be finalized.
Further soothing, the Maple Leafs did not give up a whole lot to push Dominic Moore out of the every-day lineup with the far more versatile
centre, Authentic James Neal jersey, sending just a second-round pick in 2018 and two minor leaguers back to Montreal in forward Kerby Rychel and Rinat Valiev.
Plekanec does come with a significant cap number ($6 million), but the Canadiens took care of that for their long-time rivals, too,
stomaching 50 percent of his salary.
(For reference, Glendening has three more seasons after this one at $1.8 million).
Plekanec has a lost his fastball from an offensive standpoint. As the Canadiens have struggled to score in recent seasons,Authentic Mike Condon jersey, his individual
production has sagged dramatically. A former 70-point man,Authentic Craig Anderson jersey,Plekanec has just 52 points in 138 games played across the last two seasons.
What Plekanec will provide are some of the intangibles that Babcock covets in the forwards he doesn’t entrust to score, while still
possessing some pop.
Plekanec will immediately slot in as one of the club’s best defensive forwards,adidas Marc-Andre Fleury jersey, meaning he’ll be one of the first bodies off the bench to
kill penalties and take key faceoffs. Plus, carrying underlying data that is certainly
, he’s still on the positive side of the shot share
respectable on a team that’s been outscored a fair amount at even strength over the last two years.
His experience and functionality will give Babcock flexibility with his forward lines, especially on the road when the Maple Leafs don’t
have the advantage of last change. Perhaps he takes minutes away from Tyler Bozak in tight games and when protecting leads.
For Plekanec, the trade ends a 14-year run in Montreal, which nearly took him beyond 1,000 games. He scored 232 goals and assisted on 373
others to eclipse 600 points in a Canadiens sweater earlier this season.
He should be able to add to those totals with two Finns in Leo Komarov and Kasperi Kapanen on his wings on a new-look fourth line for the
Maple Leafs that can stack up against most in the NHL.
With Luke Glendening – a pivot with dollar, term and, perhaps most harrowing,adidas Mike Condon jersey, a champion in Mike Babcock – being discussed by pundits as
a potential deadline acquisition,adidas Craig Anderson jersey, how could you blame them?
With the cap crunch looming as the hourglass continues to empty on the entry-level deals of Auston Matthews,adidas James Neal jersey, and William
,Mitch Marner
Nylander, a significant investment in the sort of player that doesn’t belong on the front line wouldn’t represent sound decision making.
But pre-deadline angst has since been pacified by Lou Lamoriello and Maple Leafs brass, as it was announced that the club had acquired a
pure rental asset in Tomas Plekanec from the Montreal Canadiens (yes,Authentic Marc-Andre Fleury jersey, the Montreal Canadiens) a little over 24 hours before all rosters
must be finalized.
Further soothing, the Maple Leafs did not give up a whole lot to push Dominic Moore out of the every-day lineup with the far more versatile
centre, Authentic James Neal jersey, sending just a second-round pick in 2018 and two minor leaguers back to Montreal in forward Kerby Rychel and Rinat Valiev.
Plekanec does come with a significant cap number ($6 million), but the Canadiens took care of that for their long-time rivals, too,
stomaching 50 percent of his salary.
(For reference, Glendening has three more seasons after this one at $1.8 million).
Plekanec has a lost his fastball from an offensive standpoint. As the Canadiens have struggled to score in recent seasons,Authentic Mike Condon jersey, his individual
production has sagged dramatically. A former 70-point man,Authentic Craig Anderson jersey,Plekanec has just 52 points in 138 games played across the last two seasons.
What Plekanec will provide are some of the intangibles that Babcock covets in the forwards he doesn’t entrust to score, while still
possessing some pop.
Plekanec will immediately slot in as one of the club’s best defensive forwards,adidas Marc-Andre Fleury jersey, meaning he’ll be one of the first bodies off the bench to
kill penalties and take key faceoffs. Plus, carrying underlying data that is certainly
, he’s still on the positive side of the shot share
respectable on a team that’s been outscored a fair amount at even strength over the last two years.
His experience and functionality will give Babcock flexibility with his forward lines, especially on the road when the Maple Leafs don’t
have the advantage of last change. Perhaps he takes minutes away from Tyler Bozak in tight games and when protecting leads.
For Plekanec, the trade ends a 14-year run in Montreal, which nearly took him beyond 1,000 games. He scored 232 goals and assisted on 373
others to eclipse 600 points in a Canadiens sweater earlier this season.
He should be able to add to those totals with two Finns in Leo Komarov and Kasperi Kapanen on his wings on a new-look fourth line for the
Maple Leafs that can stack up against most in the NHL.