P.K. Subban for Shea Weber
This is a trade that took EVERYONE by surprise and I mean everyone. While we were all chuckling and belly laughing when Edmonton sent Taylor Hall straight up for Adam Larsson of the New Jersey Devils; little did we know David Poile was lurking around ready to make a blockbuster of his own. On June 29th, 2016 the NHL World blew up as one of its faces was sent from one of the biggest hockey markets in Montreal to a “small market” in Nashville.
Some Habs fans were not happy and for good reason. P.K. Subban is an exciting player to watch and is an obvious fan favorite for his big personality. Most would say June 29th was a rough day for some fans in Canada.
Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton right now: pic.twitter.com/STOsQkDxQi
— Caroline Cameron (@SNCaroline) June 29, 2016
This is a similar trade to the Joey and Jones trade that will be discussed and debated on who won, but this one won’t be debated for as long. Unlike Johansen and Jones who are both young players with their whole careers ahead of them, one player in this one for one trade is already 30 and has maybe hit his peak. Subban is only 27 and just seems to be hitting his stride.
This was a win now mentality type of trade for Montreal. For some reason they felt Subban wasn’t the right fit for their team and locker room, so they went after a more defensive and strong player in Shea Weber. Weber doesn’t have a lot of good years left in him so the Habs need this trade to work for them sooner rather than later.
As for Nashville, this is a perfect trade for what they want to do. With the addition of Subban, the Preds top four defensemen that also include Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis are all signed to good long-term deals and they are all in their twenties. This will help them reach the ultimate goal, and they may have multiple shots at The Cup with this kind of D-corp.
Subban is a great offensive defenseman. He can make the passes and he can score some pretty goals. Last season with the Habs he only had 6 goals with 45 assists, and the year before he had 15 goals and 45 assists. Needless to say, Subban will give our fans some extra goals.
Look at this beauty of a tic tac toe play two years ago. as the puck is passed around the team, pivots around Galchenyuck, and fires a laser pass across the net to a waiting P.K. for a one-timer goal.
If you watch the way P.K. skates and the way he plays it reminds you a lot of what Roman Josi can do. Both are fast skates that can create some fantastic setup plays as well as scoring goals. What most Pred fans are worried about losing with Shea Weber is that hard slap shot he has. Subban has a great slap shot himself, maybe not like Weber’s, but I think this shot can rest some weary minds.
The other concern was the loss of leadership and the loss of the community guy Shea Weber was. Shea was amazing for the Nashville Community and the locker room and his presence will be missed. But I think Subban has a lot more leadership than given credit for and don’t forget this guy loves to be involved in the community. He donated 6 million dollars to the Montreal Children’s Hospital after all.
Next: So Who Wins?