Canadiens trade P.K. Subban to Predators

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It's rare to see two franchise defensemen get moved, but even rarer to see them get swapped for each other. So, "blockbuster" doesn't even begin to describe the trade between the Montreal Candiens and Nashville Predators on Wednesday.Montreal has traded former Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for captain Shea Weber in a straight one-for-one deal. In addition to being considered among the top Alexander Mogilny Men Jersey defensemen in the , both are among the highest paid.Subban has the largest cap hit among NHL defensemen at $9 million, while Weber's comes in at just over $7.85 million. Weber, who will be 31 when next season starts, is a three-time Norris Trophy finalist. He has 443 points in 763 games and has e sentially been the face of Nashville's franchise for the better part of the last decade. He has topped 20 goals in three seasons including last year when he had 20 goals and 31 a sists in 78 games. Subban, who recently turned 27, is only heading into the third year of an eight-year contract that made him one of the highest paid players in the league. He has 278 points in 434 games and won the Norris Trophy in 2012-13. He also was a first-team NHL All-Star twice and has become one of the league's most popular players. Subban notched his third-straight season of 50 or more points last year with 51 in 68 games. However, he seemed to be an ill fit with head coach Michel Therrien and his cap hit, though he appears to be worth every penny of his contract, was a tad burdensome. That's especially true with franchise goalie Carey Price due for a new contract in two years.But that's where this trade starts making le s sense. The Habs are getting a mere $1.14 million in extra cap space for Weber, who is under contract for the next 10 years still. They Sabres Blank Jersey 'll be paying for his Age 31 to age 40 seasons, while Subban will be playing age 27 to age 32 seasons. Sure, Weber is still effective and can be for years, but Subban could conceivably be in the midst of his prime years and have plenty more left. This trade, on the surface, looks like a huge win for the Predators. Subban is four years younger and under team control for the next six years. While he takes up a lot of cap space and cost the team its captain, he should offer a general improvement over Weber, who may have already played his best seasons in the NHL. Subban makes an already productive blue line even more dynamic with his inclusion. Weber is every bit as productive as Subban right now, Zemgus Girgensons Women Jersey and should still be effective in the early years of this contract. That said, there has to be concern that he'll start tailing off sooner than later and still has all that time remaining on his deal. On top of that, barring any other unforeseen moves, Weber will be without a high-end D partner like he had for multiple years in Nashville with Ryan Suter and later Roman Josi. That's going to challenge him initially and it would not be surprising to see his numbers dip some earlier in his Montreal tenure.There's also been talk of Subban not being a popular figure around the team. But a deal like this, where Montreal may not have dramatically improved and gets marginal cap savings, you have to wonder if there's more than we know going on. That's one of the few explanations that would have this trade make any more sense from the Canadiens' position. It's difficult to justify otherwise. "We completed today an important transaction which I am convinced will make the Canadiens a better team," Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said in a statement."It was also one of the most difficult decisions I had to make as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. In Shea Weber, we get a top rated NHL defenseman with tremendous leadership, and a player who will improve our defensive group as well as our powerplay for many years to come. Shea Weber led all NHL defensemen last season with 14 powerplay goals. He is a complete rearguard with impre sive size and a powerful shot. P.K. is a special and Zemgus Girgensons Men Jersey very talented player. He provided the Canadiens organization with strong performances on the ice and generous commitment in the community. I wish him the best of luck with the Predators."Bergevin certainly thinks Weber is a better defenseman and that might be true now, but it's probably not going to be for long. As far as the Predators are concerned, they may have just landed the new face of their team. Subban's star is on the rise and his style of play brings excitement to every shift. Adding him to a core that includes Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi, among others should be viewed as exciting even if it's bittersweet to see it come at the expense of Weber. The Predators are signalling that they want to be in the Stanley Cup conversation right now. They would have been in Andrew Hammond Women Jersey it with Weber, but maybe they just slid the window open a little wider thanks to the relative youth and extreme effectivene s of Subban.These trades just don't happen very often. Both teams have the potential to reap benefits, but I've got to give the Predators the edge due to the upside Subban brings as a younger and more dynamic player. We may not have even seen his best season yet and now he'll have more support on a blue line to really expand his game. This one is going to be fascinating to look back on in a few years.