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Edit: In one of the most shocking blockbuster trades in recent memory, the Montreal Canadiens have traded away their superstar defenseman P.K. Subban in exchange for the Nashville Predators' Shea Weber.
Weber, one of the best defensemen in the entire league, brings along with him a $7.85 million cap hit while Nashville absorbs Subban's $9 million hit.
Evidently, Subban's ego has been affected by this trade:
More on this soon... And on a personal level, I can't believe what I've just witnessed!
During the first-ever edition of the HabsBuzz podcast (starring Jennifer Cutler, Baby Jake and myself), I had asked my colleague if she would like to see Dale Weise come back to his preferred Montreal Canadiens club. We both agreed that if we were decision makers, we’d be willing to pay no more than $1-1.5 million annually for his services, so long as he sticks to his bottom-six forward role on this team.
Seemingly,
Weise has been in contact with close to a dozen teams, as per Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, and Habs management has reportedly met with the “Dutch Gretzky” and his agent Allain Roy to gauge the former #22’s level of interest in coming back. Of course, and as you would all recall, Weise has never shied away from expressing his love of the Bleu Blanc et Rouge, even in French:
In English:
P.K. Subban even called him his “best friend and one of the best teammates ever...” when he was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline:
Also, you can read
Richard Labbé’s LaPresse article from the 19th of April in which he writes at length about a discussion he had with Weise’s agent.
Roy mentions that his client was hoping that the organization would extend his contract last winter, although that evidently never transpired much to the chagrin of most, if not, all of the fans. Weise left Montreal for apparent greener pastures in a supposed Stanley Cup contending Windy City, except his single assist in 15 regular season games and limited ice-time during the playoffs- he only played in 4 games, notching 1 goal and 3 shots on net- did very little in helping his (annual) market value of $1.25 million increase.
Weise showed versatility in playing on the right flanks of virtually any of the 4 lines, despite everyone’s best wishes. He was an excellent fit with David Desharnais and Tomas Fleischmann for extended periods of time, and in 56 games with the Habs he posted 14 goals and 26 points in 2015-2016. Moreover, it’s his ability to come up big at opportune times and endless levels of energy that make him such a fan-favorite and ambassador to the Canadiens. He works hard every single time he hits the ice, and relished his 3 years playing for “La Sainte-Flanelle”.
Nevertheless, there is another side to the coin: The Habs have more than enough bottom-six role players, and the signature of Andrew Shaw has continued to receive mixed reviews as he does not address the main issue of this team, which is a lack of scoring. A slightly older albeit taller 27-year-old Weise, who measures 6’2”, could potentially take away precious playing time from Sven Andrighetto and/or Daniel Carr, both of whom have much to prove this upcoming season.
Finally, Weise has gone on the record to say that he’s spoken to several teams about his services. If he comes back to Montreal, he’ll likely have to accept a discount on his market value but ask for term in return. Perhaps he was instructed to say that his services are in demand in order to squeeze the Habs’ camp for a little extra cash, though I doubt that will affect negotiations.
With all that in mind, would you bring back Dale Weise?
Stay tuned- I’ll be writing about my ideal unrestricted free agents to join the Habs!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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