Tomas Plekanec has exactly zero points in his first ten games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had 24 points in 60 games for the Montreal Canadiens before being traded on February 25th. The points are sure to come for the veteran center, but whether they do or not is not a concern for the Leafs. Nor should it be for fans.
Toronto Maple Leafs Will Benefit from Acquiring Tomas Plekanec
Looking at Plekanec’s numbers, the zero points in ten games stands out, but more concerning are his advanced stats. Plekanec is supposed to plug a defensive hole. He has a Corsi For of 46.5 percent and a Relative Corsi of -6.6 in those ten games for the Leafs. That’s good enough for second worst on the team after Leo Komarov‘s -6.7 percent. Those numbers are not really indicative of his play, and what he brings to the Leafs. They are also going to improve before the playoffs.
New Kid On The Block
Plekanec played almost 14 seasons in Montreal. It’s the only NHL team he’s known. He has a family in Montreal. He had a routine. His life is in Montreal. Being traded to Toronto, a rival team even, threw everything out of whack. But he’ll adjust and settle in eventually. Everyone knows this is a temporary situation for Plekanec. There is already talk of him playing his 1000th regular season game in Montreal’s season opener next year. He’ll be at 999 if he plays every remaining Leafs game this season.
The Leafs can’t change their position in the standings by winning or losing. Consider the rest of the regular season an adjustment period. That gives Plekanec another eight games to get comfortable in Toronto and with the Maple Leafs system.
Plekanec has been top 20 in Selke voting four times, including seventh in the 2013-2014 season. There’s no doubt he is a valuable defensive asset. He just needs time to adjust to a new city, one he’s familiar with after playing three seasons with Montreal’s old AHL affiliate the Hamilton Bulldogs, but that was over a decade ago. He also needs to adjust to an even more defensive role than he had with the Canadiens.
How Mike Babcock Is Using Plekanec
Plekanec had a Corsi For of 51.3 percent with the Canadiens this season. The five percent drop to 46.5 percent when he came to the Maple Leafs can partially be attributed to playing in a new city, but he’s also gone from starting in the defensive zone 59 percent of the time with the Canadiens to 75 percent with the Leafs. This is a huge defensive zone start percentage. It’s as if Mike Babcock doesn’t care if Plekanec scores at all.
With such a high percentage of faceoffs being taken in the defensive zone, Plekanec’s Corsi numbers may not improve significantly. Babcock will undoubtedly use him more and more against his opponent’s top lines. Come playoff time that’s likely to be the Boston Bruins. That means facing off against players like Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, and Rick Nash. A formidable group. His numbers don’t have to be stellar with those tough assignments, but there are reasons to believe they will improve.
The Fourth Line
It’s not all hard work with little statistical reward for Plekanec in the future. A pleasing trend for Maple Leafs fans of late has been a fourth line that consists of Plekanec, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson. There is a lot of speed in that trio. Kapanen and Johnsson also bring youth and drive that should rub off on Plekanec once the playoffs start, if not before. Plekanec could find himself anchoring an energy line that can score and break out of the defensive zone quickly and easily.
If Babcock uses the Nazem Kadri line as the primary shutdown, a speedy Plekanec line is a very good secondary option. Having two safe lines to roll out late in a game could be the difference between blowing a third-period 4-1 lead and advancing to the second round. That’s what Plekanec is in Toronto to do, not score goals. Let’s not forget that while the Leafs have improved significantly this season in holding leads, going 29-2-2 while leading after two periods, they were known for blowing leads year. That thorn hasn’t been fully pulled out yet, see this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
What they do appear to have is four lines that can score and with Plekanec as a fourth line center, three of those lines can hold their own defensively.
Experience Counts
Lou Lamoriello brought in players like Dominic Moore, Patrick Marleau, and, last season, Brian Boyle for their experience. The Leafs top players are young. They are very talented, but they lack experience. It’s easy to say players like Johnsson, Kapanen, and Josh Leivo should be given a chance to play. That trading for a short-term rental like Plekanec hinders these young player’s development. But young players also need to play in meaningful games, complete in those games and win them. Auston Matthews needs to play in those games. Players like Marleau and Plekanec can be invaluable resources for players like Matthews to learn how to win when it counts. Perhaps that sentiment fits better for players like William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Matthews already looks like a veteran.
Plekanec brings a steady defensive presence to a team that’s been lacking in that department for some time. He also brings a calm demeanour and 81 games of playoff experience to a young team getting ready to face one of the best teams in the NHL in the first round of the playoffs.
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