In a blockbuster trade Wednesday, the Montreal Canadiens traded star defenceman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for two-time Olympic gold medalist Shea Weber. In Shea Weber, we get a top rated National Hockey League defenseman with tremendous leadership, and a player who will improve our defensive group as well as our powerplay for many years to come. The 27-year-old has 63 goals and 215 assists in 434 career games.
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Subban is an elite transition player who moves the puck up ice with control better than nearly anyone in the National Hockey League, and again, Weber is nothing special there, as he relied on Roman Josi.
Bergevin applauded Subban for his contributions in the Montreal community, which included a $10 million donation to Montreal Children’s Hospital previous year.
-The New Jersey Devils acquired left wing Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Adam Larsson.
Stamkos has topped 40 goals four times. The 24-year-old played in a career-high 71 games last season, producing 13 goals and 10 assists. He excels at clearing the front of the net and plays a complete game himself, despite what his -7 plus-minus rating from last season would have us all believe.
The Oilers are betting on the upside of Larsson, a player who’s yet to find a groove in the National Hockey League. The Skelleftea, Sweden native had three goals, 15 assists, 77 penalty minutes and a plus-15 rating in 82 games last season.
As noted by Jeff Simmons of Sportsnet.ca, Subban now has six years remaining on his nine-year contract which goes alongside a value of $72MM and an annual salary cap hit of $9MM.
“No-move clauses have to be protected”, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. He is a former second round pick (49th overall) of the Predators back in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Jones was acquired in a January trade with Nashville and led Blue Jackets defensemen with 31 points despite playing just 41 games. Hall had 26 goals and 65 points last season, two years after an 80-point campaign.
The dam that we thought would break over the weekend at the draft has now broken with these two trades and with Steven Stamkos staying in Tampa Bay.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity on Wednesday because the Lightning have not announced the decision. Detailed terms weren’t immediately available.
In 2015, he won the title with a shot clocked at 108.5 miles per hour.
FILE – In this January 16, 2016, file photo, Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber plays against the Minnesota Wild in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn.
The 11-year veteran also has played for Edmonton and Minnesota and has 239 points in 697 career games.
Berube played 17 seasons with the Flyers, Maple Leafs, Flames, Capitals and Islanders. Even if the two were equivalent talents, taking the older defenceman who is signed longer is a bad deal, but unfortunately for the Canadiens, Weber has been in sharp decline for a number of years. His deal is reportedly worth $8.5 million per season for 8 years.
All four defenders are ideal commodities for the fast-paced skill game of today.
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He will have an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Sabres roster this season. A year ago he had a career-high 10 goals and 32 points, including 24 even-strength points, a number on par with Weber as well as the Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith and Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh.
