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Therrien: Plekanec ‘should be a serious candidate’ for Selke Trophy

Tomas Plekanec

Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec eyes a loose puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Boston on Monday, Dec. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

AP

Over the last five years, the Selke conversation has largely been based around a handful of individuals: three-time winner Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kesler, Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews (one win each).

Now, Montreal head coach Michel Therrien says a new name warrants mention -- Tomas Plekanec.

“He should be a serious candidate for sure,” Therrien said, per Sportsnet. “He does so may good things on the ice.”

Plekanec, 31, has successfully transitioned from an offense-first guy to a more well-rounded forward, one that Therrien considers to be his best two-way center. While his advanced possession statistics are hardly off the charts and both his takeaway and faceoff numbers are average at best, Plekanec has emerged as Montreal’s main shutdown guy, one that routinely draws the opposition’s top offensive players.

And he’s still managing to produce offensively, with 14 goals and 28 points through 46 games -- which is a big reason why Therrien’s making the Selke push.

“When we ask [Plekanec] to play against the other teams’ top lines, he always does the job,” Therrien explained. “And he can contribute on offense too.”