The 2016 blockbuster trade that sent Shea Weber from the Nashville Predators to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for P.K. Subban was a shock on a number of levels. But for Subban, it was also a public statement that Montreal didn’t fully believe in him as a long-term cornerstone.
The trade has been framed by many – including by Subban himself – as a kind of redemption arc, both on and off the ice. If Montreal was questioning whether Subban could be a No. 1 defenseman in all situations, his run with the Predators was his answer. He was Nashville’s heartbeat from the blue line during the 2016-17 season and arguably their most impactful skater not named Pekka Rinne.
Subban was a fan favorite in Montreal and 2013 Norris Trophy winner with the Canadiens, but his relationship with management and coaching staff had reportedly grown strained. Critics said he was too flashy, too outspoken, and at times too risky on the ice. But the Predators didn’t see a problem; they saw possibility.
General manager David Poile and head coach Peter Laviolette also showed a tremendous amount of trust in Subban, giving him a top-pairing role in Nashville right away. They trusted his offensive instincts and gave him the green light to play his game, his way. And in the spring of 2017, Subban paid that trust back with the kind of playoff run that changed the conversation around his career.
How the Predators' run to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final helped rewrite P.K. Subban's NHL story
Of course, the Predators' run to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final was central to Subban's legacy in Nashville. His first season with the team afforded him the opportunity to prove himself in big moments, and he delivered in a way that only he could.
Subban's high-energy play, leadership, and big goals – especially in the playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks – showed he could be a legitimate, top-four defenseman on a contender and silenced critics in Montreal who doubted his ability to excel under playoff pressure.
The defending champion Blackhawks were supposed to be the roadblock for Nashville that year. Instead, Subban helped turn the series into a four-game demolition. He played over 25 minutes in the opener, helping to hold Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews scoreless, and in Game 2 dished out two primary assists to spark a 5-0 win. By the time Nashville closed out the sweep, Subban had set the tone: aggressive offense, relentless defense, and the confidence of a man who knew this was his chance to prove something.
The Western Conference Final was a bruising, attritional battle that saw Subban balance physical punishment with precision passing, racking up a pair of assists in the opener and controlling the tempo from the blue line against the Ducks. In the series-clinching Game 6, he played 27 minutes, neutralizing Anaheim’s forecheck and setting the stage for Nashville’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance.
By the end of the run, Subban had 12 points in 22 games, a plus-5 rating, and an average ice time north of 27 minutes. He had been Nashville’s engine from the back end, their heartbeat on and off the ice, and a living rebuttal to the criticisms that followed him out of Montreal.
For Subban, the trade that could have been his undoing became his vindication. In Montreal, his personality had been framed as a liability; but in Nashville, it became part of the franchise’s identity. The 2017 playoffs didn’t just put the Predators on the hockey map – they put Subban back on top, proving he was every bit the No. 1 defenseman he had always claimed to be.