The Montreal Canadiens have signed centre Tomas Plekanec to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $2.25 million in base salary and $1.25 million in potential bonuses.
As we speculated for a while now, the Canadiens will announce the return of Tomas Plekanec today once the market opens. One-year deal. He had some serious interest from Chicago, I believe, but returns to the Habs
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/CanadiensMTL/status/1013453975956475906
Montreal Canadiens Sign Veteran Centre Tomas Plekanec
Over his 14-year NHL career, Plekanec has played for the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. He has put up 232 goals and 375 assists for 607 career points in 998 career NHL Games. Plekanec has added 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points in 94 career playoff games. He was originally drafted in the third round, 71st overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He is coming off a two-year contract that paid him $12 million ($6 million AAV).
Last season, he had six goals and 20 assists for 26 points in 77 games. He also added 45 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 50.9 percent Corsi with a relative Corsi of -0.7 percent. Plekanec had two goals and two assists for four points in seven playoff games. The Montreal Canadiens traded Plekanec to the Leafs at last year’s trade deadline, acquiring Kerby Rychel, Rinat Valiev, and a second-round pick.
Plekanec’s best season came in 2009-10 when he scored 25 goals and 45 assists for 70 points.
What This Means for the Future
Plekanec, 35, is a veteran centre. He is capable of playing important defensive minutes against the top lines in the NHL. Plekanec is also an experienced and capable penalty killer. He also is good on faceoffs. While he may not bring the offence that he did earlier in his career, he still has a valuable role to play in the NHL, and will be a veteran leader for his Habs.
Main Photo: MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 18: Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on January 18, 2017, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
