I really think the Canadiens should be exploring the possibility of trading Plekanec. This deal seems OK.
My reasons for thinking about trading Plekanec are:
Pros
- Make room for Galchenyuk at centre: I feel that if they Habs are going to win the Cup, it will have to be with Galchenyuk at centre.
- Diminishing returns for Pleks: He is definitely past his peak and we will only see lower and lower returns over the next couple of years. If we plan on trading him in the future, now would be the best time.
- We get younger: This team is entering a window of opportunity. Sure we can keep Pleks if we think he is one of the key contributors, but I am yet to be convinced of that.
- Cap space: Of course cap space does not win championships, but this could give us some more flexibility to shore up our defense, which I feel is lacking.
- Individual player: Although I really like Plekanec, I have reached the opinion that he is nothing but a good individual player. He is not our Bergeron. He is not our Toews. I find he is a good individual player and does not do a whole lot to make his linemates better. That is why many players can't find chemistry with him. That is why Gionta can play with him, because they are both individual players who make things happen for themselves. I am not knocking him, but I fell top line centres need to be able to make their wingers look like stars while still putting him 20-30 goals. See Getzlaf, Toews, Bergeron, Crosby, Giroux, etc...
Cons
- Not ready: The age old debate of "who will replace Plekanec?" I really think that we need to let Galchenyuk and Eller sink or swim here. They are our future top 3 centres and we need them to get the experience required to win a cup.
- Not a sure thing: A prospect and a pick may turn into no appreciable return. Although a guy like Etem looks promising.
- Loss of leadership and character: Do we really want to shake up the room by trading a veteran?
If this were the 10th overall pick in play, I would be very tempted to pull the trigger. Our team looks good but outside of Pacioretty and Galchenyuk, I wouldn't say that we have any game-breaking forwards on the horizon. Gallagher and Eller are nice pieces but we are lacking one more bonafide star. If you look, we mimic Bergeron's vision of copying Chicago very well, but we are missing a Patrick Kane and a veteran scoring winger. We can get the veteran via UFA in the next few years. A Kane type player will likely require a top 10 pick or a gem from Timmis later. Top 10 pick seems more likely to yield that player.
Toews/Galchenyuk
Kane/???
Sharp/Pacioretty
Hossa/???Vanek-type player
Shaw/Gallagher
Saad/???Hopefully a prospect can fill this, DLR?
Keith/Subban
Seabrook/???Tinordi one day if we are lucky
Hjalmarsson/???Beaulieu should be better one day
Crawford/Price