Confirmed Trade: [MTL/TOR] Plekanec (50%), Baun for Valiev, Rychel, 2nd

[Jee]

That jersey is ugly on him.

Come back soon bby.

 

[Lemontree]

That jersey is ugly on him.

Come back soon bby.

Not as ugly as his game is on the Leafs.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Goatee wasn't included in trade. It was retained and will be in Montreal when Bergevin re-signs him in July lol.

It's hanging up in the locker room right by his #35 jersey

 

[ottomaddox]

Dear Tomas Plekanec,

You only have one opportunity to make a first impression.

Now the hard work starts.

 

[Benstheman]

Not as ugly as his game is on the Leafs.

Was it that bad???

 

[rent free]

Was it that bad???

He had a penalty and didn't play great

 

[member 147413]

He had a penalty and didn't play great

He had 2 penalties and didn’t get play great.

 

[Jee]

Good.

Listen all of y'all it's a sabotage

 

[BruinsBtn]

Nash is always an eye test darling. And yet he, and his team, always ends up dissappointing.

His team in New York did more than the Leafs have in 51 years.

 

[Cotton]

His team in New York did more than the Leafs have in 51 years.

Lmao, what? What kind of response is that.

 

[BruinsBtn]

Lmao, what? What kind of response is that.

He played 5 years in New York, made the playoffs every year. Won at least one playoff round in 4 of 5 years. Made the Cup finals once and made the semi-finals twice.

To call his team success a disappointment in NY is laughable.

 

[Brock Radunske]

I didn't notice him once, other than when he took a stupid penalty. Great...

 

[David Suzuki]

Pleks doing the lords work

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

I like Plekanec. It might take him a while to get his bearings but Leaf fans will eventually like him too.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

It will take him a bit of time to understand he doesn't want the Leafs to lose. Right now, it's still instinct... do things to make the Leafs lose. Can't blame the lad.

 

[The Great Weal]

I didn't notice him once, other than when he took a stupid penalty. Great...

Hes not a guy you will notice.

 

[IPS]

Hes not a guy you will notice.

He's here to get buried with defensive zone starts so our offensive lines get more offensive zone starts.

 

[The Great Weal]

He's here to get buried with defensive zone starts so our offensive lines get more offensive zone starts.

Well actually im wrong. The times you do notice him are when he kills the offense.

 

[FerrisRox]

I'm curious, as a proponent of defense by committee, I was interested in Petry and the package for Plekanec ended up similar to what I was wondering whether it would work for Petry. I was thinking Nielsen or Valiev plus a 2nd and 4th 2019. Wondering if that would have worked?

That wouldn't have worked or even been close to enough in my opinion.

Petry is worth considerably more than Plekanec. I thought, if there was a bidding war, they could get a 2nd rounder for Plekanec with retention. I'm not sure if there were any other teams bidding, but they managed to get that 2nd rounder plus a couple of AHL pieces that may or may not provide some depth to the NHL club.

But Petry is a lot more valuable, signed to a decent contract and would have cost considerably more to acquire.

That being said, I think you are right, he'd have been an excellent addition to Toronto.

 

[garyturner3]

IMO, this trade looks better and better as the day goes on.

Agreed. Initially I hated it because I didn't think we needed an upgrade in our 4th line C role, but that's probably just me not knowing Plekanec's game that well. The more I look at it, the more I realize he brings a lot more to the table than Moore and that's worth a 2nd rounder. Adds a bit of insurance in case of injuries as well. Rychel and Valiev, while both well above average AHL players, had pretty much zero shot of ever cracking the Leafs' roster so I don't really consider them a loss at all.

 

[garyturner3]

QFT.

While you obviously cannot go back in time, it's interesting to note that in the last 2 seasons, the Leafs have departed with pair of 2nd rounders, plus whatever draft pick value Rychel and Valiev may have had; for short term solutions at 4th line C for 2 years.

Last year I get, as it was important for the team to get playoff experience... but this year, given the moves that everyone else made, I can't help but wonder if this move realistically gives us any better chance of beating Boston or Tampa in the first 2 rounds.

I don't get this mindset when it comes to the NHL playoffs. Other sports like basketball where upsets are few and far between, sure. But hockey? It's not that far off from a coin flip once you get in. I can't remember the last year where things went as expected. Here's how the last 6 years of cup finals have went down:

East seed vs West seed
2017: 2nd vs 8th
2016: 2nd vs 6th
2015: 3rd vs 4th
2014: 5th vs 6th
2013: 4th vs 1st
2012: 6th vs 8th

How much history do we need to be convinced the Leafs have a legit shot at winning? They're not some garbage team just squeezing in. They're sitting in 2nd right now (realistically 3rd after you factor in Boston's games in hand). It's hockey....the game is filled with so much parity that things rarely go as expected and as you can see from the above list, the best teams on paper more often than not bow out earlier than expected.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Well actually im wrong. The times you do notice him are when he kills the offense.

This is why he got constantly ripped on on the Habs board. Fans tend to get more excited when the game is in the offensive zone and whenever Pleks touches the puck there it kills the excitement, sadly that's when he gets noticed the most. Too bad because he is always doing excellent job defensively.

 

[Dog]

It was his first game and was against Tampa! Geez, you people need to stop nitpicking! Wait till playoffs that is where it really counts! What did you expect a Gordie Howe hat-trick in his first game?

 

[TMLeafs17]

Dude took 2 penalties, one with under 4 minutes to go in a tied game while doing absolutely nothing positive throughout the entire game. Ya, we expected better.

Can only go up from here... right?

 

[shortfuze]

Never thought I’d see the day.

Welcome home, Plekky.

What does welcome home mean? Does he live in Toronto in the off season? Was he born here? Not trying to be funny just confused on what that means.