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Leafs repeat deadline patchwork with Plekanec deal; The Leafs Convo |
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The Toronto Maple Leafs made their first major trade before Monday's NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring veteran center Tomas Plekanec from the Montreal Canadiens. Toronto also adds minor league forward Kyle Baun (grandson of Maple Leafs great Bob Baun) in exchange for defenseman Rinat Valiev, forward Kerby Rychel and the Leafs 2018 second-round pick.
The 35-year-old Plekanec played the entirety of his 14-year NHL career with the Habs and has 24 points (6 goals, 18 assists) in 60 games this season, but was considered a valuable commodity as a rental with a thin center market at the deadline.
As part of the deal, the Canadiens retain 50% of Plekanec's $6 Million salary, which still gives the Leafs some flexibility under the cap to make other moves before the 3pm deadline on Monday.
The deal satisfies head coach Mike Babcock's wish list for more depth up the middle. Plekanec will likely step into the lineup on one of the three offensive lines (while Auston Matthews is recovering from a Grade 2 shoulder separation)and then take the spot of Dominic Moore on the fourth line once Matthews returns.
In terms of what the Leafs gave up, Valiev was lower on the Toronto defensive depth chart behind Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen, Andrew Nielsen and Timothy Liljegren and may have more of a chance at upward mobility with Montreal. Rychel led the Toronto Marlies in scoring last season, but his skating ability appears to be a major impediment to him making the jump to the NHL and as with this season, the 23-year-old winger would have to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL.
The main consideration in this deal is the cost of a 2018 second round pick for a rental center, which is a repeat of what the Leafs did last season when acquiring Brian Boyle from Tampa Bay. While Boyle provided some veteran experience, the deal was a short-term solution for a team that was not going deep into the playoffs at a hefty price.
With the acquisition of Plekanec, Toronto has solidified their depth and experience at center for the rest of the season, but it has not moved the needle significantly in improving their odds against their likely opposition in the first round of the playoffs.
Boston added some veteran depth with the trade for Rick Nash and signing of Brian Gionta on Sunday and it is expected that the Lightning will make a move to upgrade their defense, whether it be Erik Karlsson, Ryan McDonagh or Mike Green.
Unless the Leafs follow up this trade with an upgrade on defense, they have essentially given away a relatively high draft pick for a short-term fix.
will update throughout the day with the latest rumors
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