Plekanec’s future may not include Montreal

Tomas Plekanec doesn’t remember the first point he registered with the Canadiens, which is understandable because it happened so long ago.

The date was Oct. 6, 2005, and Plekanec picked up an assist on a goal by Chris Higgins as the Canadiens beat the Rangers 4-3 in New York.

On Sunday, Plekanec recorded his 600th career NHL point with the Canadiens, getting an assist on Artturi Lehkonen’s second goal in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre. Plekanec added his 601st point when he scored the final goal, ending a 20-game goalless drought for the 35-year-old centre selected in the third round at the 2001 NHL draft.

“I remember the first goal, but I don’t remember the first point,” Plekanec said after the game when looking back on his NHL career.

“It was against Toronto, I think at home. (Ed) Belfour was in the net, I think, and I got a pass from (Mike) Ribeiro and just shot it … a slapper.”

Plekanec’s memory is perfect about that night on Oct. 15, 2005, when Toronto beat the Canadiens 3-2 at the Bell Centre.

Plekanec has now played 974 games with the Canadiens, scoring 231 goals and adding 370 assists. He ranks eighth all-time in games played with the Canadiens and 13th in points. But Plekanec’s days in Montreal could be numbered with the Feb. 26 trade deadline approaching and him eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1 after his two-year, US$12-million contract expires.

Plekanec has made it clear he wants to finish his career in Montreal, but it would make sense for Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin to trade him before the deadline to a team looking for a veteran two-way centre and then try to re-sign him in the summer to a much less expensive contract. That depends on whether Plekanec is in their plans.

On a team that’s weak down the middle, coach Claude Julien continues to lean heavily on Plekanec, who is averaging 16:21 of ice time while killing penalties, winning 52.1 per cent of his faceoffs and posting a plus-2 despite being matched up against the opposition’s No. 1 line. Offensive ly, P le kane c’ s production has dried up with five goals and 15 assists in 53 games.

Plekanec said he hasn’t had any discussions with management about the future, but has talked a bit with his agent.

“We’ ll see what happens ,” he said.