Here is my rebuttal to Andrew's piece on the need to trade Tomas Plekanec. We have decided to use the month of August to pick a topic, flip a coin and debate the merits of looming decisions facing the Montreal Canadiens.
The centre ice position has been a hot button topic for Habs fans since the Canadiens lost to Tampa Bay in the second round. Going into the playoffs, one of the Habs' perceived strengths was their depth up front and particularly down the middle. A trio of Plekanec, Desharnais and Eller proved capable of competing and winning night in and night out against the league's best as Montreal finished 2nd overall in the regular season. Plekanec was good for 26th among centres with a solid 60 points and has the ability to play head to head in all 3 zones against the NHL's toughest assignments. Desharnais averaged .58 PPG, good for 39th in the NHL among centremen. Finally, Lars Eller potted 15 goals while starting nearly 40% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Eller also had a stellar playoff run in '14 and was expected to be a mismatch against any other team's "3rd line centre" come playoff time.
In the east, Montreal's biggest obstacles to a Cup final were expected to be Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers (these two teams, unlike the Habs, did not disappoint). Tampa was able to send out a trio of Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson and Val Filppula as their top 3 centres. The Rangers could counter with Derick Brassard, Derek Stephan and JT Miller. Obviously, the Habs and Rangers could not match the 1-2 combo of Stamkos and Johnson, but their collective depth matched up well and both teams gave Tampa all they could handle before bowing out. (Quick note: Stamkos was switched to wing in the Montreal series to get him out of a slump. So the match-ups down the middle look much better when Val Filppula, as solid as he is, is matched up against one of the Habs trio. Tampa's contributions from their bottom 6 were almost non-existent in the first 5 games of the Habs-Lightning series, so you could make a case that if the Habs could play keep the top two lines at bay, the Habs were in fact mostly successful at even strength, their superior depth 1-12 could be the difference in the series).
Obviously, things did not turn out well for Montreal. Although they played a solid series against Tampa 5x5, they were torched on the PK and they could not generate enough offense to win. This loss stung because it seemed to indicate that the Habs were a flawed team that needed a serious offseason revamp to take the next step. With Plekanec scoring in the bottom third of first line centres and posting only 1 goal and 4 points in 12 playoff games, the fans' focus became trading #14. (You can see how the same stat can be used to bolster and counter any argument. I started with the fact Plekanec had a good season with 60 points and that ranked him as a true first line centre in the NHL. In the next paragraph I said that he ranks in the bottom 3rd of first line centres. Both are true facts. Which idea is more compelling? Read on). Plekanec will be 32 in October and with his contract set to expire, is now the time to re-up with him with his scoring likely to have already peaked? Also, could a trade of Plekanec open up a spot for a younger more talented teammate (Galchenyuk or Eller) and bring something back the Habs do not currently have on their team (big bodied scoring forwards)?
I believe Plekanec has 2-3 seasons where he can still contribute top 6 production. His defensive acumen will always be solid and his ability to take on tough defensive assignments should not wane over the next 4-5 seasons. The key is to find a term and a dollar amount that does not insult Plekanec but fairly reflects what his role will be going forward. Ideally, Plekanec would be signed to a 3-5 year contract and see his role evolve of the course of the deal. The first two years would see him continue with his duties as they are. He can continue to provide offensive production and share the defensive zone responsibilities with Eller. If and when Galchenyuk shows the consistency to take first line minutes, then Plekanec can shift into more of a shut down role. Currently both Desharnais and Galchenyuk have needed to take the majority of their shifts in the offensive zone to be effective. Therrien is unwilling, wisely, to put them in a position that will hurt the Habs in their own end. The rush to trade Plekanec does not take into account who will be able to fill his minutes. Currently none of Eller, Galchenyuk or Desharnais can match his effectiveness at both ends of the ice.
Over the next two seasons, perhaps as soon as training camp '15, Galchenyuk will be given the opportunity to prove he can handle first line minutes up the middle. Allowing him the opportunity to seize this role does not make Plekanec immediately expendable. In fact, assuming he does not lose a step and stays healthy (Plekanec has played 692 of the Habs last 704 games), there is no reason Plekanec cannot play a role in Montreal until he is 36-37. The key will be to allow #14 to transition into a role that fits his declining offense and advancing age without being too onerous on the salary cap.
I have always felt that beginning in the early '90's the Canadiens were too quick to trade off their leaders and veterans. Guy Carbonneau, Craig Ludwig, Vincent Damphousse and others were traded too early and still contributed long after their last game in a Canadiens uniform. Marc Bergevin has so far been astute when judging the effectives of his veteran players versus the cost associated with keeping them in Montreal. Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges were moved or moved on at exactly the right time. It is difficult to predict how Plekanec's game will hold up over the next 3-5 seasons, but I would like to see the Canadiens find a way to keep him in their line up as his role evolves. I believe in the tenacious Plekanec's ability to continue to prove effective into his mid to late 30's. I like the continuity of having veterans like Markov and Plekanec in the fold. They have known only one NHL team and it would be fitting to see each retire in the Bleu, blanc et rouge.