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The Boys Are Back in Town |
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As promised, the NHL released its Covid testing numbers today: so far, 26 players have tested positive out of 1450 tests done. Of course, every player who has tested positive has put himself in isolation just like the people who have been in contact with them. Last week, Carey Price told the media that he wouldn't be ready to vote on a return to play proposal yet because there are too many unanswered questions at the moment but today, Price made his way back to Montreal, almost two weeks prior to the scheduled start of phase 3 (the opening of the camps) which is set for July 10th. His wife posted about his departure on Instagram and stated that she and the kids would stay in the state of Washington with her family:
So, while he might not have been comfortable voting on the proposal last week, looks like he thinks this is going to happen since he's coming back to train with his teammates. And without being mean, this is a good thing, I mean looking at the footage from training, McNiven isn't exactly a challenge to score on...
Finally, it's hard not to mention that 4 years ago today, Bergevin pulled the trigger on his most controversial trade, sending PK Subban to Nashville in return for current Habs captain, Shea Weber. 1460 days later, people are still arguing whether or not this was the right move and to be fair, it's not that easy to judge. While Subban has had a terrible season this year (who wouldn't in New Jersey?) the stats since the trade are in his favour: he has played 320 games (including 41 in the playoffs), scoring 49 goals and adding 123 assists for 172 points and a minus 6 rating. Meanwhile Shea Weber has played 233 games (including six in the playoffs) registering 53 goals and 77 assists for 130 points and a +36 rating. Subban has played over 40 games more in the regular season which isn't surprising considering how many injuries Weber has had to deal with. Of course, there is more to hockey then points and statistics and that's where Weber's true worth it. There is absolutely no denying that the man is a natural born leader and that the atmosphere in the Habs locker room has been better since Subban's departure. While we weren't privy to what was happening behind closed doors during number 76's tenure on the blue line, it's clear by the way assistant captain Brendan Gallagher speaks of him that he was far from being everyone's cup of tea.
What he was though, was a hit with many fans and someone who could make the game far more interesting that it really was. While Weber is a great player, he's anything but exciting and certainly doesn't make the headlines with his persona. What does a team need to win though? Some would say less distraction because that's what Subban was but the Canadiens have yet to win with Weber... To be fair, his supporting cast has been far from stellar and he's suffered many injuries but still, making the playoffs once in 4 years (I do not count this year as making the playoffs since the Habs are only in the play-in round so far) really hurts. At the same time, Subban is far from playing at the level he did for the Habs in his Norris winning season... There is still time for both of them to turn things around and win Lord Stanley's Cup though and really, does it matter who won the trade? What's done is done and it's not changing so it's high time everyone made their peace with it... Although considering we still talk about the Roy trade, that seems unlikely.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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