The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired center Tomas Plekanec and forward Kyle Baun from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Rinat Valiev, forward Kerby Rychel and a 2018 2nd round pick.
This trade reminds me a lot of when the Leafs acquired Brian Boyle last trade deadline. Pleakanec has had a rough last two seasons, but hasn\’t decreased in the faceoff circle, as he still has a faceoff percentage of over 50%. They give up some prospects, but Valiev and Rychel were both blocked by other players.
Plekanec, 35, has scored six goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 60 games for the Habs this season. In his NHL career, all in Montreal, Plekanec has scored 232 goals and 373 assists for 605 points in 981 games.
Baun, 25, hasn\’t played in an NHL game this season. In his NHL career, all for the Chicago Blackhawks, Baun has scored no points in five games. Baun\’s grandfather, Bob Baun, was a four time cup winner with the Leafs.
For the Habs, Plekanec is way past his prime, and is a rental. To get two young players and a second rounder is a pretty good haul for him. It is hard to trade players that have played on the team for 15 years, but the time came to deal him.
Valiev, 22, hasn\’t played in the NHL this year. In his NHL career, all for the Leafs, Valiev has no points in 10 games.
Rychel, 23, hasn\’t played in the NHL this year. In his NHL career, all for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Rychel has scored two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 37 games.
I think the Habs win this trade. Plekanec is not worth a second, plus two young players. Increased trade market or not, this is a bad deal for the Leafs.
CarterHud 