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Tomas Plekanec #1 Center!


ICEWATER77

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Be honest now, I'm just wondering how many of you are being forced to eat your words? It wasn't too long ago that Pleks was being mentioned in every trade imaginable. Now look what he's doing...or wait, let me guess, he's "lucky" to be playing alongside Galchenyuk? Yeah I'm sure that's it... :bonk:

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There's a few players I'd trade him for, but very few deals in which I would look to trade him. Depends on the return I guess, but that stands for any player.

Great start to the season, for a life long Hab, and I couldn't be happier for him, or the Habs....

It sure isn't looking like we have a replacement in Eller now is it? :wall:

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No matter how great Pleks plays, the myth that he is a terrible playoff performer will be used to invalidate his contributions, at least by some fans. Sad but true. To a certain degree - I wouldn't want to push this too far - he's like the Saku Koivu for this generation of Habs, the indispensable C who has been a Hab all his life and has been oddly under-appreciated for his pains.

He's no Datsyuk and (frankly) is not a bona-fide #1 C, but he is a very fine, all-around hockey player, one that any team would be happy to have. The whole idea of trading him to "make room for Eller" has been insane all along, and will be until Eller learns the fine art of bringing his A game every shift.

If he ever does.

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Great team player. Asked to do too much at times the last couple of years. PK, PP, reg top reg shift minutes. Over rated by some and under rated by others.

However I am not surprised that a post on how good Plekanic is playing is put up in mid October.

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No matter how great Pleks plays, the myth that he is a terrible playoff performer will be used to invalidate his contributions, at least by some fans. Sad but true. To a certain degree - I wouldn't want to push this too far - he's like the Saku Koivu for this generation of Habs, the indispensable C who has been a Hab all his life and has been oddly under-appreciated for his pains.

He's no Datsyuk and (frankly) is not a bona-fide #1 C, but he is a very fine, all-around hockey player, one that any team would be happy to have. The whole idea of trading him to "make room for Eller" has been insane all along, and will be until Eller learns the fine art of bringing his A game every shift.

If he ever does.

Cuke have you dispensed with your theory about not needing a number #1 center? Seems odd that you would bring it up, counter to your diatribes on the subject.

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The "Number One Center" stuff has always been a headache for me. Especially during the Koivu years.

We all agree that you can have more than one number one center (Pittsburgh has two) and you can have zero number one centers (Quick: name the number one center on Nashville!) but what makes someone a number one center?

Based on last year's totals:

- A top 30 center in the league is a 54 point center.

- A top 20 center in the league is a 61 point center.

- A top 10 center in the league is a 70 point center.

- A top 5 center in the league is a 79 point center.

Where do we draw the line in scoring? I recall both Koivu and Gomez used to find themselves in the Top 30 for center scoring but everyone agreed they were not number one centers. Not even, "number one centers at the back of the line".

Look at Bryan Little. He hovers between the high 40s/low 60s in scoring at center. Is he a number one center?

Look at David Krejci. He's a near 70 point center for multiple seasons. Is he a number one center?

Look at Mikko Koivu. He's had a 67 and 71 point season but he's more of a 50 point center. Is he a number one center?

If it's not based on scoring, is it based on minutes? Only 17 centers in the league averaged 20:00 or more per game last season. Plekanec was 22nd for all centers for TOI/G.

I guess I feel that when people say Montreal needs a number one center, they mean Montreal needs a Top 10 center. Then again Max Pacioretty led all left wingers last season in goals and was 11th in LW scoring and there's some people who still think he isn't a top winger in the league so... I don't get some folks logic.

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However I am not surprised that a post on how good Plekanic is playing is put up in mid October.

The stats don't show that he plays much differently in October than any other month though.

Oct: 71 points in 98 games (.72 PPG)

Nov: 70 points in 106 games (.66 PPG)

Dec: 68 points in 108 games (.63 PPG)

Jan: 69 points in 97 games (.71 PPG)

Feb: 75 points in 102 games (.74 PPG)

Mar: 73 points in 122 games (.60 PPG)

Apr: 20 points in 52 games (.38 PPG - regular season only)

Playoffs: 42 points in 69 games (0.61 PPG, April and May months combined)

From that, you can't really conclude that he's Mr. October as you've suggested before. Technically, it's not even his best month, February is. Over the first five months of the season, he's pretty much consistent throughout. He fades down the stretch before picking up his production in the playoffs to levels close to his regular season numbers. He's far from a one-month player.

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The "Number One Center" stuff has always been a headache for me. Especially during the Koivu years.

We all agree that you can have more than one number one center (Pittsburgh has two) and you can have zero number one centers (Quick: name the number one center on Nashville!) but what makes someone a number one center?

Based on last year's totals:

- A top 30 center in the league is a 54 point center.

- A top 20 center in the league is a 61 point center.

- A top 10 center in the league is a 70 point center.

- A top 5 center in the league is a 79 point center.

Where do we draw the line in scoring? I recall both Koivu and Gomez used to find themselves in the Top 30 for center scoring but everyone agreed they were not number one centers. Not even, "number one centers at the back of the line".

Look at Bryan Little. He hovers between the high 40s/low 60s in scoring at center. Is he a number one center?

Look at David Krejci. He's a near 70 point center for multiple seasons. Is he a number one center?

Look at Mikko Koivu. He's had a 67 and 71 point season but he's more of a 50 point center. Is he a number one center?

If it's not based on scoring, is it based on minutes? Only 17 centers in the league averaged 20:00 or more per game last season. Plekanec was 22nd for all centers for TOI/G.

I guess I feel that when people say Montreal needs a number one center, they mean Montreal needs a Top 10 center. Then again Max Pacioretty led all left wingers last season in goals and was 11th in LW scoring and there's some people who still think he isn't a top winger in the league so... I don't get some folks logic.

My definition would be someone who can push the pile and contribute in ALL situations. He would also have to contribute to the score sheet regularly. I like your suggestion of the seventy point mark for last year but I would suggest that you stay within pecking distance of all scorers as defining a number one in any year. Seventy probably doesn't cut it the year Orr scored 130 odd!

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If he is the no. 1, we are in trouble. Let's say that we would be a real contender if he was our 3rd line centre. I agree that he would fit very well as the second centre if we had a Kopitar, a Malkin, a Staal (Eric) or a Getzlaf as a 1st line centre.

Having said that, I don't mind if he proves me wrong and finish the season with 30 goals and 60 assists. ;-)

But I doubt that will happen.

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If he is the no. 1, we are in trouble. Let's say that we would be a real contender if he was our 3rd line centre. I agree that he would fit very well as the second centre if we had a Kopitar, a Malkin, a Staal (Eric) or a Getzlaf as a 1st line centre.

Having said that, I don't mind if he proves me wrong and finish the season with 30 goals and 60 assists. ;-)

But I doubt that will happen.

Would you have Plekanec, Jeff Carter or Andrew Shaw ?

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I sure like Carter a lot. Don't understand why the Flyers lost confidence in him.

It was allegedly locker room fight according to rumours. No different to the Three Amigos vs. Koivu's Vets

It was Chris Pronger and Scott Hartnell's camp against Mike Richards and Jeff Carter's camp. Richards and Carter were considered heavy partiers and didn't take the team in the right direction. Pronger pretty much told Holmgren it was him or them. Holmgren went with the veteran.

Similar might have happened in Boston. Zdeno Chara didn't like how Tyler Seguin handled himself and said if he's the captain, he chooses who stays and who goes. Seguin gets traded for "off-ice behaviour" while Lucic, in Chara's good graces, can still get in fights in Vancouver bars and be just as typical. Lucic and Marchand's antics on ice are still not considered a "problem" in Boston while Seguin was a must be moved issue.

Basically if Holmgren felt he wasn't gonna get anymore good years out of Hartnell/Pronger he might have dealt them instead.

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Guest Stogey24

If he is the no. 1, we are in trouble. Let's say that we would be a real contender if he was our 3rd line centre. I agree that he would fit very well as the second centre if we had a Kopitar, a Malkin, a Staal (Eric) or a Getzlaf as a 1st line centre.

Having said that, I don't mind if he proves me wrong and finish the season with 30 goals and 60 assists. ;-)

But I doubt that will happen.

Montreal basically rolls 3 lines, sometimes 4. We don't need that true Number one centre when your getting scoring from every line
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No matter how great Pleks plays, the myth that he is a terrible playoff performer will be used to invalidate his contributions, at least by some fans. Sad but true. To a certain degree - I wouldn't want to push this too far - he's like the Saku Koivu for this generation of Habs, the indispensable C who has been a Hab all his life and has been oddly under-appreciated for his pains.

He's no Datsyuk and (frankly) is not a bona-fide #1 C, but he is a very fine, all-around hockey player, one that any team would be happy to have. The whole idea of trading him to "make room for Eller" has been insane all along, and will be until Eller learns the fine art of bringing his A game every shift.

If he ever does.

It's a good thing that Plucky (multi-level pun.. I just noticed...) doesn't adopt the attitude towards us that we have towards him. He is an absolutely WONDERFUL Montreal Canadien from the getgo, and thank God he's ours. Go get'em Pleks! We love ya!!

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It was allegedly locker room fight according to rumours. No different to the Three Amigos vs. Koivu's Vets

It was Chris Pronger and Scott Hartnell's camp against Mike Richards and Jeff Carter's camp. Richards and Carter were considered heavy partiers and didn't take the team in the right direction. Pronger pretty much told Holmgren it was him or them. Holmgren went with the veteran.

Similar might have happened in Boston. Zdeno Chara didn't like how Tyler Seguin handled himself and said if he's the captain, he chooses who stays and who goes. Seguin gets traded for "off-ice behaviour" while Lucic, in Chara's good graces, can still get in fights in Vancouver bars and be just as typical. Lucic and Marchand's antics on ice are still not considered a "problem" in Boston while Seguin was a must be moved issue.

Basically if Holmgren felt he wasn't gonna get anymore good years out of Hartnell/Pronger he might have dealt them instead.

If I had a face like Lucic's I'd be in a lot of bar fights too! Hard to resist punching something that bad!!! Hahahahaha!

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Montreal basically rolls 3 lines, sometimes 4. We don't need that true Number one centre when your getting scoring from every line

In the regular season, we can live with that. Off season, though, it's a liability. If we don't have a superstar like Crosby, Toews, Datsyuk (he is getting old) or Giroux, we need the big, robust, fast and skilled center. Having two smallish players to centre the top lines is a weakness. I am sure that Bergevin is aware that we have a problem, but he is a patient man. He will wait for the right time to fix it.

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Our #1 C is currently playing LW with Plekanec.

Let's not worry too much here... ;)

True. He already is the playmaker on his line. Doesn't take the face-offs yet, but it will come.

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Cuke have you dispensed with your theory about not needing a number #1 center? Seems odd that you would bring it up, counter to your diatribes on the subject.

My "diatribes" are based on the proposition that we can roll three scoring lines and that that kind of depth, combined with strengths in other areas, can, in principle, lead to a Cup. This hypothesis leads me to lose less sleep than some over the fact that we don't have a Stud C. Hence, I can sing Pleks' praises while also denying that he has the profile of that Stud C. No contradiction there.

I loved dlbalr's post breaking down Pleks's production. Empirical evidence is always good.

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