After a phenomenal 8th seed playoffs run in the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Montreal Canadiens, Tomas Plekanec made it clear he wanted to remain with the team for as long as possible. The Canadiens felt similarly and signed Plekanec a six-year deal effective immediately after the expiration of his current contract on July 1.
Had Montreal been unable to or decided not to re-sign Plekanec, he would have been one of the most sought-after players in this year’s free agent market. The Czech centre had a career-best 70 points last season and scored 25 goals. Although his Canadiens struggled to make the playoffs, they went on to upset favourites Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Through a conference call from his home in the Czech Republic, Plekanec said: “I had a chance to stay there [Montreal], and I'm extremely happy about it. I'm excited to be back, especially after last year, when we had great success – and I'm sure we can do even better.”
He added: “I'm very happy to be staying in Montreal for another six years. I'm happy to commit myself to Montreal. My best option for myself was to stay in Montreal." According to Plekanec, his six-year deal includes a no-trade clause, so if this sentiment does not waiver, he could remain a Canadien for the entire duration of the contract.
This shows strong team commitment as Plekanec has never played for any other franchise. The Canadiens selected him with the 71st pick in the third round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He left his native country for North America that year, and spent three years playing for the Canadiens’ American Hockey League farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs.
In 233 AHL games, Plekanec had 176 points. After these three successful seasons, he was finally called up to the NHL to play with the Canadiens in 2005. In the five seasons since his call up, Plekanec has 103 goals and 151 assists in 393 games. He has also scored more than 20 goals in the last four of these five seasons.
The general lack of scorers available in free agency this offseason would have strongly inflated the salaries Plekanec could have requested, but the 27-year-old seems to have never had any intentions of playing elsewhere.
"I've been asked several times during the last season if I want to stay, and I always said ‘I love Montreal and I want to stay,'" Plekanec stated. "This is how I wanted it to end up. (The contract) went the way I wanted it to, and I'm happy about it.”
He further praised Montreal by saying: "I like the city and I love playing in front of the fans in Montreal. Playing in Montreal is special – ask any player in the League and he's going to tell you that playing in Montreal, whether you're playing for Montreal or against Montreal is special. I have a chance to be a part of the Montreal organization for another six years. I've been part of the organization for eight years already, so I know what it's all about. The city of Montreal – I love it. There was no concern about leaving because there wasn't something I didn't like about Montreal."
Plekanec’s dedication to the team reinforces his role as a team leader, and his actions could rally other players around him. Now that he is a long-term fixture, Canadiens coach Jacques Martin will be relying on Plekanec even more than previously. To prove his worth though, Plekanec must lead the Canadiens to a higher playoff ranking, and help the team become a force to be reckoned with rather than a startling underdog.
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