Trading Shea Weber
Predators fans look back on the Shea Weber trade as one of the worst in Predators’ history. Fans now miss Weber so much they root for the Montreal Canadiens just to see Weber succeed.
To gain defenseman PK Subban, Poile struck while Weber was still a high-value player. It must have slipped his mind that he had given Weber a 14-year contract in 2012 to keep from losing him to the Philadelphia Flyers.
By the time all of the math had been done in 2016, Weber was in Montreal, Subban was in Nashville, and Poile was left on the hook for a potential salary-cap hit for a player that was no longer on the team.
According to Bryan Bastin of On The Forecheck, up until the new collective bargaining agreement that was signed this season, there was a possibility that the Predators would’ve had to fork over a whopping $24M to Weber if he were to retire a year before the contract expired in 2026.
The new CBA that was signed spreads out the cap penalty amount that would be due to Weber if he retires before the contract expires. Spreading out the penalty is preferred, as a lump sum and salary cap hit of $24M would cripple the Predators.
The Predators will possibly take a cap hit of $7.8M for Weber until 2030 if he retires before the contract expires.
When examining the Predators’ trade moves, you can look to the Shea Weber trade as one that started the snowball of bad trade decisions. The impact of that trade can still be felt in Nashville today and could impact their salary cap in the future.