The deadline arms race is officially on. Just hours after the Boston Bruins acquired Rick Nash from the New York Rangers, their division rival in the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled the trigger on a deal of their own. On Sunday morning, the Leafs finalized a trade to acquire veteran forward Tomas Plekanec from the Montreal Canadiens.
In exchange for Plekanec and forward Kyle Baun, the Leafs sent defenseman Rinat Valiev, forward Kerby Rychel and a second round pick to Montreal.
The 35-year-old Plekanec has six goals and 24 points in 60 games this season, which aren't exactly numbers that jump off the page. However, he's a veteran presence that should be a versatile upgrade down the middle for the Leafs' bottom six as they look to make a playoff run this year. Plekanec might be a rental for Toronto, as he's on the final year of his current contract. He carries a cap hit of $3 million.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens get a pretty good package in return. In addition to the draft pick, Montreal gets a decent defensive prospect in the 22-year-old Valiev, who is a solid two-way defenseman that could be NHL-ready in the near future. Rychel is a 23-year-old forward that has 12 points in 37 career games played at the NHL level.
A year after being bounced in the first round by the Washington Capitals, the Leafs are hoping to make a strong playoff push this season. They currently sit one point ahead of the Bruins for second place in the Atlantic division, though Boston has five games in-hand.
