Stunned. Shocked. Disbelief.
The unfathomable for many has happened. P.K. Subban has been traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber.
Confirming the PK Subban blockbuster: traded to Nashville for Shea Weber.
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) June 29, 2016
This is a blockbuster trade. This makes Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson seem like peanuts. Two giants on defence traded for one another.
Of course I missed the news by a minute while feeding my baby and tweeted:
With the Hall/Larsson trade, can we please finally put to rest the Subban rumors???
— Jennifer B. Cutler (@Jenbcutler) June 29, 2016
Just a little embarrassed by that one!!!
Quite simply though, Michel Therrien and Marc Bergevin won. Subban was not their type of player as they stifled his creativity. Subban meant everything to fans. He wanted nothing more then to bring a Stanley Cup to Montreal, his childhood team. He was Mr. Personality but he backed it up with his play on the ice. Unfortunately, it appears management could not handle it. Off the ice, one has to wonder what will happen to Subban's foundation and the pledge he made to the Montreal Children's Hospital? When Subban signed his contract he committed himself not just to the crest on his jersey but to the city itself. Marketing wise, this is a huge loss for the Canadiens. You can't possibly tell me that the sales of Weber jerseys will be the same of Subban's merchandise.
Hands down, Nashville wins this trade. Predator fans are drooling over a top pairing of Subban and Roman Josi. Yes, Weber has been one of the top defencemen in the NHL for a number of years. However, his contract was worse than Subban's as it is longer and he is older. Weber will be turning 31 in August and he is signed through 2025-2026. Subban is just entering the prime of his career. How much longer will Weber continue to play at an elite level? Yes, it saves a little room of cap space as Weber makes an annual average of $7,857,143 compared to Subban's $9 million salary. With the cap likely only marginally increasing over the next few years, it gives Bergevin a little wiggle room.
What I find quite interesting is that shortly after the trade, news came of Stamkos resigning with Tampa Bay. Was Montreal actually in the running and the Subban trade convinced Stamkos to stay with Tampa? Food for thought...
The only way that fans can find a way to forgive Bergevin and Therrien is by winning the cup with the Weber. Nothing less would be acceptable.
Cheers and follow along! Follow @Jenbcutler