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Plekanec in crisis! What gives?


Your explanation for the Mysterious Vanishing Plekanec  

36 members have voted

  1. 1. What's with our supposed #2 centreman?

    • He played over his head the last two seasons, and is not really a top-6 forward
      6
    • This is all part of the learning process; he'll be fine
      17
    • He will need a change of scenery before he recovers his game
      2
    • He's a Koivu-type, prone to extended slumps
      5
    • It's mostly the fault of his linemates
      0
    • Other
      6


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Problem is : Kovy had 12 assists in his 19 games drought. It is not just about scoring.

True! Even though Kovy's numbers aren't "the bomb", You can tell tha tmost nights he IS putting in the effort, and even though he might not score 35 goals this year, I am convinced he will pick up at least 70 points, which is decent.

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Incidentally, Plek's struggles further compound my longest-running anxiety about the Habs: our lack of quality depth at C in the system. There's an aging, battered Koivu...there's Mr. 3 Points in 20 games (Plekanec)...and there's...zip.

Actually I would say that the Canadiens could have two very strong depth centers in Chipchura and Lapierre. Lapierre is playing great, and his combination of size, speed, and continuous hustle makes him a luxury 4th line centre. It's too bad he doesn't have any hockey sense, and only limited offensive skills.

As for Chipchura, he's a victim of management's conservative instincts as both Gainey and Carbonneau are more comfortable with several depth veterans on the roster. I still believe he can become a great shutdown centre with the hockey sense, passing skills, and offensive abilities to score 30-50 points per season (depending on his wingers and use).

Maxwell and Plekanec also provide us some depth for the second line centre position. Neither a genuine offensive leaders that can carry an offensive line, but both could complete high-scoring wingers to form a more than respectable offensive line. What Montreal really needs from this point forward is a strong number 1 centre, especially since Koivu hans't been able to fill that role since the lockout and won't get any better with age.. but then again there are a lot of teams looking for such a player...

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True! Even though Kovy's numbers aren't "the bomb", You can tell tha tmost nights he IS putting in the effort, and even though he might not score 35 goals this year, I am convinced he will pick up at least 70 points, which is decent.

Yeah. But the problem with Plekanec is that we cannot just say "he is putting in the effort". He's no Steve Bégin, he is a player who is supposed to get points on the board. This kind of player needs to score or at least have a 2-3 assists night to regain confidence. It is a viscious circle that Plex is in right now, and only him can get out of there. Maybe just a lucky one like Kovy on the PK at the faceoff... It just takes something, and we're still waiting for this something to happen.

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Yeah. But the problem with Plekanec is that we cannot just say "he is putting in the effort". He's no Steve Bégin, he is a player who is supposed to get points on the board. This kind of player needs to score or at least have a 2-3 assists night to regain confidence. It is a viscious circle that Plex is in right now, and only him can get out of there. Maybe just a lucky one like Kovy on the PK at the faceoff... It just takes something, and we're still waiting for this something to happen.

I think you're mistaking Plekanec for a Kovalev type of player, mainly because of that Steve Bégin sentence. Plekanec has shown he can be a 65-75 point centre but he's still more of a two-way forward than he is a "pure skills" sort of guy like Grabovski. From what I've seen, he has been putting in some effort, especially when shorthanded. He definitely needs to break the ice in order to get going but I'm not worried about him.

Chicoutimi Cucumber is right that we're going to be having a bit if trouble at C once Lang and Koivu are gone. Plekanec is slotted to be our number one centre - if ever he's in that position (without another equal player like Koivu on the second line) then a slump like this would sink the entire team. For the moment, he doesn't seem to be infecting anyone else so all we can do is wait for him to wake up.

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I think you're mistaking Plekanec for a Kovalev type of player, mainly because of that Steve Bégin sentence. Plekanec has shown he can be a 65-75 point centre but he's still more of a two-way forward than he is a "pure skills" sort of guy like Grabovski. From what I've seen, he has been putting in some effort, especially when shorthanded. He definitely needs to break the ice in order to get going but I'm not worried about him.

Chicoutimi Cucumber is right that we're going to be having a bit if trouble at C once Lang and Koivu are gone. Plekanec is slotted to be our number one centre - if ever he's in that position (without another equal player like Koivu on the second line) then a slump like this would sink the entire team. For the moment, he doesn't seem to be infecting anyone else so all we can do is wait for him to wake up.

Well, maybe I expect to much from this kid. But after last season, i really thought he would become a regular 65-75 pts player.

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Well, maybe I expect to much from this kid. But after last season, i really thought he would become a regular 65-75 pts player.

Yeah, so did I. But I didn't take him in my pool so I'm not as pissed as you are. :lol:

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The problem with most streaky players is their attitudes. Some players just don't have the emotion or work-ethic to put their skills to use. Pleks works hard every game and has the skills to produce, so even if things are clicking right now, it's only a matter of time.

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