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Tomas Plekanec

Tomas Plekanec Signs In Czech Republic

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When the Montreal Canadiens terminated Tomas Plekanec’ contract earlier this season, he made it clear that he would head back to the Czech Republic to continue his playing career. The next thing we heard was that both Kladno—the team owned by former NHL star Jaromir Jagr—and HC Kometa Brno wanted to acquire his services. Now it turns out they will both have a piece of the veteran forward. In a press conference alongside Jagr on Monday, Plekanec was announced as a new member of Kladno who will also play games for Brno at various times throughout the year. The two teams are in different divisions after Kladno’s relegation a few years ago.

Plekanec, 36, retired from the NHL after agreeing to terminate his contract, and will return to his hometown of Kladno to try and help them earn a promotion to the Czech Extraliga once again. Used to a more rigorous schedule though, he will also play games for Brno before eventually making a decision between the two closer to the end of the year.

The veteran center played 1,001 regular season games in the NHL, all but 17 of those coming with the Canadiens. He never did get the chance to lift a Stanley Cup but had plenty of success in the playoffs, scoring 53 points in 94 games. He very well could face off against some of those NHL opponents once again at the World Championships next spring, a tournament he has attended ten times for his country, serving as captain on multiple occasions.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Plekanec, Seattle

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The NHL has released their three stars of the week and it comes as no surprise that David Pastrnak is in the top spot. The Boston Bruins forward scored five goals including a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and added two assists in a dominant week. The 22-year old forward is well ahead of anyone else in the Maurice Richard race, with 16 goals in his first 17 games on the season.

Second and third go to a pair of veteran forwards that have experienced plenty of success in the past, as Blake Wheeler and Claude Giroux continue their strong seasons. The Winnipeg Jets and Philadelphia Flyers captains had seven and eight points respectively last week, and are doing their best to keep the teams in the playoff hunt. Winnipeg now sits in third place in the Central with 21 points, while the Flyers have climbed out of an early hole and now sit behind only Columbus in the Metropolitan.

  • It was obvious it wouldn’t take long for Tomas Plekanec to find work in Europe after he terminated his contract with the Montreal Canadiens, and Czech outlet iSport reports that Kladno—the club owned by former NHL star Jaromir Jagr—and Brno are the leading candidates for his services. Though there isn’t a clear decision at this point, Plekanec will easily be able to find a hockey landing spot as he returns home after a long productive NHL career.
  • The NHL Board of Governors are still on track to hold a vote in early December to decide on the expansion application from the city of Seattle, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told reporters that there will be a decision made during the annual meetings that begin on December 3rd, though wouldn’t commit to the 2020-21 season timeline that has been pushed forward. That all depends on the construction of the arena, which is by no means guaranteed to be ready for the fall of 2020. Still, it does look like things are on track for Seattle to be approved by the league next month, which would force teams once again to start preparing for the next expansion draft.

Tomas Plekanec On Unconditional Waivers, Will Retire From NHL

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Sunday: Elliotte Friedman reports that Plekanec has cleared waivers.

Friday: Despite the Montreal Canadiens suffering several injuries to their forward group, the team announced today that they will place Tomas Plekanec on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a mutual contract termination. Plekanec hasn’t seen much ice time this season but is close to returning from his latest minor injury, but will not suit up again for the Canadiens.

At the press conference to discuss the move with the media, GM Marc Bergevin explained that this was a “hockey decision” to let Plekanec go. The 36-year old forward was near tears when talking about always wanting to retire in Montreal, but did note that he would look for opportunities in the Czech Republic for the next few years. It seems as though his NHL days are over. Plekanec spoke about how the team is in good hands with the young group in the dressing room, and how Bergevin did approach him with the idea of a trade at one point before making this decision.

Though there is still the formality of clearing waivers and then terminating the contract tomorrow, it seems like the end of the North American journey for Plekanec. Selected in the third round of the 2001 draft, he would make an impact at the AHL level right away and show that the rest of the league made a mistake in passing on him. By the time the league returned from lockout in 2005, he was a full-time player for the Canadiens and wouldn’t look back. Plekanec played in at least 77 games for 11 consecutive seasons (not counting the lockout-shortened 2012-13, in which he played 47 of 48) and was the picture of health and consistency for a team that went through plenty of change. Hitting a career-high of 70 points in 2009-10, Plekanec was a huge part of a Montreal team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Canadiens will not be on the hook for any of Plekanec’s cap hit, even though he signed his most recent contract over the age of 35. Because the deal was just for one season, the restrictions usually applied to 35+ deals—that is, a cap hit that remains with the team regardless of what happens to the player—do not apply. Only multi-year contracts are punished in this way, meaning the Canadiens are free and clear of anything to do with Plekanec’s contract.

In fact, the last year has been quite beneficial for the Canadiens when it comes to Plekanec. Last spring they traded the veteran center to their rival Toronto Maple Leafs for a package that included a second round pick, only to see him return to play his 1,000th game in Montreal this year. The Maple Leafs were knocked out of the first round anyway, and no other piece from the deal is still on either roster. The fact that he’s willing to step aside and allow the team to fill the roster with the next wave of Montreal forwards is just the latest in a long career filled with putting the Canadiens ahead of himself.

Known best for his trademark turtleneck and goatee, Plekanec will not go down alongside the very greats of the Montreal franchise. He was never part of a Stanley Cup run, and scored just 608 points in his 1,001 games. Still, he’ll be remembered as an efficient soldier by many fans and revered for his loyalty to the franchise to the very end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injuries Mounting Up Front For Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens are off to an impressive start this season, with Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin leading an improved forward group that have contributed to the team’s 46 goals in 15 games (not counting tonight). Even as the team deals with the long-term recovery of captain Shea Weber, they’ve kept their heads above water with a 8-5-2 record. With Carey Price still not playing at the level he’s capable of, there is plenty of enthusiasm in Montreal.

Unfortunately, that enthusiasm took a hit today when the team released updates on a pair of forwards. Paul Byron, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, will now be evaluated on a week-to-week basis and is out for the foreseeable future. The 29-year old forward, who was signed to a four-year extension at the end of training camp, hasn’t played yet in November and now seems in danger of missing the rest of the month. A key player given his speed and penalty killing ability, Byron has also been one of the team’s best goal scorers at even strength the last two seasons.

Perhaps even worse than the news on Byron is that of Joel Armia, who suffered a knee injury against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Armia will be out for six to eight weeks, meaning he very well could be out until after Christmas. Armia had seven points in his first 15 games and had logged time on both the powerplay and penalty kill this season. That versatility will be sorely missed over the next couple of months, especially if Byron can’t come back soon.

Tomas Plekanec, who has played only three games this season, is getting closer to a return but isn’t the type of player who can make a huge impact anymore. What these injuries might mean is another chance for Nikita Scherbak, who has been playing on a conditioning stint in the minor leagues. As CapFriendly noted yesterday, the Canadiens can keep him in the minor leagues for another few days but will have to make a decision on what to do with him at some point. The team already lost Jacob de La Rose when they tried to sneak him through waivers, and wouldn’t want to risk Scherbak to the same fate.

Montreal hasn’t been able to deal with injuries very well over the last few years, but with some added depth thanks to the emergence of Jesperi Kotkaniemi and acquisition of Domi perhaps this season will be a different story.

Atlantic Notes: Point, Plekanec, Thompson

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The six-year, $31MM extension that Tampa Bay gave winger Yanni Gourde on Friday raised more than a few eyebrows given his relative inexperience.  Matt Larkin of The Hockey News suggests that the Lightning may have created another problem for themselves with the move as it pertains to pending RFA center Brayden Point.  His agent has already indicated that his preference is to wait until the summer to get a new deal for Point finalized and with a strong start that has seen him collect 14 points in 12 games to start the season, the asking price is only going up at this rate.  Accordingly, Larkin likens the situation to Toronto and RFA William Nylander where the team may be banking on Point taking a discount to keep the core intact.  If he’s unwilling to do so (and doesn’t want to take a bridge contract), GM Julien BriseBois may have to move out a couple of players before next season to free up enough room to re-sign Point and fill out his roster.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec returned to practice for the first time since sustaining a back injury in mid-October, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The veteran has played in just three games this season after beginning the year as a healthy scratch and then suffering this injury just after reaching the 1,000 games played milestone.  While he is still likely at least a few days away from returning, it’s worth noting that Montreal is carrying a full roster and they have already lost one player to waivers as a result of that crunch earlier this season.
  • Sabres center Tage Thompson will be scratched for the sixth time already this afternoon which has led to some discussion about whether or not the 21-year-old would be better served playing with AHL Rochester instead. Head coach Phil Housley told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that they believe that there’s value in keeping him up for extra drills after practice and video sessions but acknowledged that playing time is still most important for his development.  With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sent down if he’s not back in Buffalo’s lineup over the next few games.

Snapshots: Free Agents, Sweden, Plekanec

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The 2019 unrestricted free agent class was supposed to be a super group, but since names like Tyler Seguin, Drew Doughty and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have re-signed there isn’t quite as much fanfare surrounding it. Still, Erik Karlsson headlines what could be an expensive July 1st and Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) does his best to break down the situations surrounding the top 25 options.

The Columbus Blue Jackets feature prominently with two of the top three names, including Artemi Panarin who Custance terms as a possibility for “this year’s version of John Tavares.” Panarin is off to a great start, and could be a franchise-altering talent that’s available at the deadline if there isn’t any progress between his camp and the Blue Jackets.

  • When the Swedish team lost in the gold medal game at the 2018 World Junior Championship, silver medals were placed around each coach’s neck while Canada celebrated their victory. Those coaches almost immediately removed the medals despite a rule that they must wear them during the celebration, leading to an eventual suspension for the entire staff. That suspension was supposed to keep them from working the 2019 tournament, but today was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Tomas Monten, Nizze Landen and Henrik Stridh will be allowed to coach at this year’s tournament after all.
  • The Montreal Canadiens haven’t used Tomas Plekanec much this season, and now will be without his services altogether for the next few weeks. Plekanec has been moved to injured reserve with a lower back injury, and will be out “several weeks.” The veteran center celebrated his 1000th game recently, and has one goal in three appearances with Montreal this season.

Injury Notes: Pettersson, Schultz, DeKeyser, Andrighetto, Johns, Kovalchuk

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While there has been no official diagnosis revealed, The Province’s Patrick Johnston writes that Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning reports that 19-year-old phenom Elias Pettersson is feeling a little better today after taking a brutal hit and flung to the ice by Florida’s Mike Matheson that forced him out of the game Saturday evening.

“I just talked to him in the meal room, he’s feeling a little bit better,” said Benning before the team headed for the airport.

Pettersson was reportedly quite woozy after the hit, where it looks as if he hit his head against the glass during the hit and then hit his head a second time when Matheson threw him to the ice. The Department of Player Safety already confirmed there will be a phone hearing about the incident.

  • While there also is no official word from the injury that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz suffered Saturday after he fell awkwardly with Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that speculation is that he sustained a fracture to his leg/ankle and the recovery time is likely to be significant. McKenzie adds that while a fracture can be better than a high ankle sprains in some cases, if Schultz requires surgery, that could make it the recovery time even longer.
  • The Detroit Red Wings will be without defenseman Danny DeKeyser as he is expected to see a hand specialist on Tuesday, suggesting he might be out a while, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The scribe adds that the team will get back Dennis Cholowski, who has missed two games with an upper-body injury for Monday’s game.
  • BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele reports that Colorado Avalanche’s Sven Andrighetto skated with the full team in a non-contact jersey Sunday. He suffered a lower-body injury before the season started and the team hopes it can get the 25-year-old back during their upcoming four-game road trip. The team intends to recall a player from the AHL until Andrighetto is ready to return.
  • Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns skated on back-to-back days this weekend, suggesting the 6-foot-4, 225-pound blueliner is edging closer to a return as he deals with a concussion from the preseason, according to The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro. The scribe adds that he isn’t that close as he is still dealing with headaches.
  • The Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke reports that Los Angeles Kings winger Ilya Kovalchuk left practice early today. Head coach John Stevens said he’s been dealing with a “nagging issue” and is day-to-day.

Snapshots: Schultz, Pettersson, Hicketts, Howden

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The Pittsburgh Penguins could find themselves down a defenseman for a while after Justin Schultz went down Saturday with what looks to be a gruesome leg injury (video link here). According to the Penguins, he needed to be helped off the ice after falling awkwardly in slow motion and either injuring his ankle or knee, after getting tangled up with Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec.

While more information won’t be known until Sunday at least, the idea of losing Schultz, one of the top defenseman isn’t a good sign. The 28-year-old already had four assists in three games played this season. Assuming he’s out for any length of time, the team could look to insert Juuso Riikola into the rotation. The Finnish free-agent, who signed with the team this summer, has impressed the Penguins throughout training camp and earned a spot as an extra defenseman, but has played in just one game so far this season.

  • Vancouver Canucks fans have to be worried after rookie Elias Pettersson took a massive hit from Florida Panthers’ Mike Matheson and then was thrown down on top of that (video link here). The 19-year-old rookie immediately left the game with a trainer, according to TSN’s Brennan Klak. Pettersson had already put up a power play goal in the game and led all rookies with five goals and eight points this season. No word on the severity of the injury.
  • NBC Sports Joe Haggerty writes that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Joe Hicketts will likely struggle all season as the diminutive blueliner at works his way through his rookie campaign with his physical brand of hockey. While the 5-foot-8 defenseman played an impressive 23:39 against the Boston Bruins Saturday and had five hits, he finished with a minus-3 and showed that he’ll struggle against top competition and skaters such as the Bruins depth that he faced Saturday.
  • Rick Carpinello of The Athletic (subscription required) profiles the play of the New York Rangers’ Brett Howden, who seems to be showing the team that he’s more than just a grinder. The 20-year-old has been impressive since training camp and his play forced the Rangers to send 2017 first-rounder Lias Andersson to the AHL. The Rangers acquired Howden, a 2016 first-round pick, from Tampa Bay in the Ryan McDonagh deal last season, but has already posted two goals in the Rangers’ first five games.

Atlantic Notes: Cooper, Nylander, Kotkaniemi, Kronwall, O’Brien

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Despite the fact that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is in the final year of his contract, often a bad sign if a team hasn’t extended him, that isn’t the case here. Cooper and new general manager Julien BriseBois have a long history together as BriseBois was the one who originally hired Cooper back in 2010 as the head coach of their AHL franchise when BriseBois was the assistant general manager.

The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) documents their long history together and writes that even though negotiations haven’t started, BriseBois and Cooper aren’t worried about it at all, considering the trust and bond the two share together.

“I don’t see anyone else I’d want to work with right now,” BriseBois said, who hoisted a Calder Cup trophy with Cooper seven years ago. “The people who were there with you, you never forget that.”

  • Damien Cox of The Star writes that while the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t done anything wrong when it comes to the contract situation with holdout William Nylander, the team does need to think about how it intends to manage their next two major contract discussions when they must tangle with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. While Nylander is rumored to be asking for $8MM plus in his next deal, both Matthews and Marner could ask for quite a bit more. With the team’s significant cap issues in front of them, the scribe writes the team would be well advised to avoid a similar situation next season by trying to lock those two youngsters up during the season.
  • Montreal Canadiens’ centers have already begun training their newest addition in Jesperi Kotkaniemi by working separately after practice with him on faceoffs on Friday. According to The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin (subscription required), Tomas Plekanec, Mathew Peca, Andrew Shaw and Phillip Danault got together and helped teach the 18-year-old some tips and tricks on taking faceoffs with the hopes that the youngster improves his game as quickly as possible.
  • The Detroit Red Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson for their two-game road-trip, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Both defensemen have been on injured reserve and still are not ready to return to action.
  • While not on the Ottawa Senators NHL roster, Matt Tidcombe of the Belleville Senators website reports that team lost forward Jim O’Brien for four to six months after the 29-year-old forward underwent surgery on a severed tendon in his right leg in an AHL preseason game. O’Brien played 10 games for Ottawa last year.

Montreal Holds Several Deadline Chips If Season Goes Poorly

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The Montreal Canadiens have been in the news on a daily basis recently, given the situation surrounding captain Max Pacioretty. The 29-year old winger is heading into the final season of his current contract and apparently hasn’t been offered an extension by the Canadiens. Reports of a previous trade request have surfaced along with confirmation that the Canadiens had a deal worked out with the Los Angeles Kings at the draft, leading many to believe that there will be a split before the season begins.

If there isn’t though, and Pacioretty laces up his skates at training camp and to begin the season—something he is expected to do with or without a contract extension—he’ll still be considered one of the biggest names on the trade market during the year. As the deadline next February approaches, Pacioretty’s name would be brought up again and again due to his relatively low cap hit and still capable offensive game. But there is more in Montreal than just Pacioretty when it comes to trade chips.

By all accounts, the Canadiens front office is hoping—even expecting—a rebound from their disappointing 2017-18 campaign. A healthy Carey Price would go a long way to that goal, especially given Shea Weber’s ongoing struggles. Weber underwent surgery in June to repair the meniscus in his knee, and is expected to be out until December. The team got a taste of what their defensive group was capable of without Weber last season, and could struggle once again this year. If they do, and Price can’t return to his Vezina form to bail them out of it, the season could be lost once again.

If the deadline approaches and Montreal is out of it, they stand ready another incredible asset. Paul Byron, who is also coming back from surgery this offseason, is another player heading into the final season of his current contract and scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019. The different between Byron and many of the other assets that could be on the market though is his ridiculously low cap hit. At just $1.167MM, Byron has been one of the leagues biggest bargains the last two seasons and will likely get a chance to perform once again in 2017-18. The fact that his actual salary is even lower—just $1MM this season—makes him one of the most attractive assets that could be available.

To many, Byron may not seem like as notable an addition as someone like Pacioretty. But looking at the potential names available at the deadline, few can match Byron in terms of even strength goal scoring. Over the last two seasons Byron has tallied 38 goals at even strength, more than incredible talents like Phil Kessel, Jack Eichel, Leon Draisaitl, Johnny Gaudreau, Anze Kopitar, and yes, even Pacioretty. He’s done that scoring despite averaging fewer than 13 minutes of even strength time per night and playing several different positions and with different linemates.

In fact, there may be a case to be made that Byron is a better asset than Pacioretty at the deadline given his versatility. Byron averaged almost two minutes of short handed time last season, and was arguably the Canadiens best penalty killer. A team looking for help during a Stanley Cup run will strongly consider the Montreal forward if made available. That’s not guaranteed though, as Montreal could still offer Byron an extension in the coming months instead.

There are others too, including Tomas Plekanec, Jordie Benn and David Schlemko that could all bring back a potential return at the deadline. Schlemko is signed for two seasons, but the former two are both inked for just one year and could be worthwhile depth additions at the deadline.

If the Canadiens find themselves out of the picture partway through the season, there’s no reason to hang onto their expiring assets. Luckily, they still carry enough value to allow a team that should be considering a real rebuild to cash in on their final days. It’s newsworthy times in Montreal right now, but could be again a few months down the line.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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