Predators acquire P.K. Subban from Canadiens for Shea Weber
The Nashville Predators acquired P.K. Subban from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Shea Weber on Wednesday in a blockbuster swap of All-Star defensemen two days before free agency opens.
Subban won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2013 and had six goals and 45 assists last season before suffering an injury. The offensive-minded, dynamic 27-year-old has 63 goals and 215 assists in 434 career games, all with the Canadiens.
He said he was not surprised by the trade because there had been so many rumors since he signed a $72 million, eight-year contract in the summer of 2014. Subban's no-movement clause that would've allowed him to block any trade was set to kick in on Friday.
"With a lot of the chatter that kind of happened over the little while, I'm a firm believer that usually where there's smoke there's fire," Subban said on a conference call. "Obviously it's a little bit surreal but it happened."
Subban was not always the favorite of coach Michel Therrien and others in the organization despite his playmaking ability. Still, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said trading Subban was "one of the most difficult decisions" he has had to make.
"We completed today an important transaction which I am convinced will make the Canadiens a better team," Bergevin said. "P.K. Subban is a special and very talented player. He provided the Canadiens organization with strong performances on the ice and generous commitment in the community," including a $10 million donation to Montreal Children's Hospital last year.
Nashville GM David Poile said the trade was first discussed at the draft last weekend in Buffalo. It was worth it for Poile giving up Weber for Subban.
"P.K. Subban is an elite offensive defenseman with tremendous skill and contagious energy that makes the Nashville Predators a better team now and into the future," Poile said. "Superstar defensemen of his caliber are a rare commodity, and we are thrilled to add him to the organization."
Weber, who turns 31 on Aug. 14, had been with Nashville since the start of his NHL career in 2005. He signed a $110 million, 14-year offer sheet with Philadelphia as a restricted free agent in 2012, but Nashville matched it to keep him.
The three-time Norris Trophy finalist was a team captain and had 20 goals and 31 assists last season.
"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 power play for many years to come," Bergevin said. "He is a complete rearguard with impressive size and a powerful shot."
Subban said he always felt wanted in the Montreal community after he was drafted in the second round in 2007. He stopped short of saying he felt unwanted by the Canadiens.
"I just feel good knowing that a team has moved someone to bring me in because they want me," Subban said while on vacation in Paris. "Just happy to be in a situation where I can excel and feel good coming to the rink every day about myself, about the team, about my position. More importantly I just look forward to trying to win a Stanley Cup. That's your ultimate goal and I feel that I got a whole lot closer to doing that today."
• The Devils finally have a legitimate goal scorer, and this one is coming to New Jersey with a chip on his shoulder after a surprising trade.
The Devils on Wednesday acquired a 'slighted' Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers in a straight-up deal for defenseman Adam Larsson.
The surprising move two days before the start of free agency gives the goal-starved Devils an exciting young left wing who was the No. 1 pick overall in 2010, while the Oilers get a solid defenseman who was the No. 4 overall selection in 2011.
An emotional Hall admitted the move caught him off guard after dealing with six losing seasons in Edmonton.
"It's tough," the 24-year-old Hall said in a conference call. "I have a pretty deep connection to the city of Edmonton. I felt I did everything I could there so it's pretty hard not to feel slighted, not to feel a little disappointed with the way everything shook out. That's hockey."
What seemed to bother Hall most was that he felt that the trade focused the blame on him for the team's losing seasons.
Hall said he expressed his disappointment to Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli after being informed of the trade.
"I don't want to sound like I am not excited to join New Jersey," Hall said. "That's not the case. I'm a proud person and I take this as an indictment of me as a hockey player. I don't think there is any other way to treat it. I think it's safe to say I am a very motivated player right now."
At a news conference in Edmonton, Chiarelli said the Oilers have been looking for a top-notch defenseman for months and getting the 23-year-old Larsson required paying a price.
"He moves the puck, he defends well, he can log a lot of minutes — he can play 25, 27, 28 minutes," Chiarelli said. "He can match up against all of the other top forwards, he has more skill to show also.
"It's unfortunate in these deals, this is what you have to do, but I felt it was a player that I've watched very closely this year and I can see his game trending up and it was time to act on it."
The trade also gives the Oilers salary-cap space to possibly sign free agent Milan Lucic. Hall was making an average of $6 million annually.
The Devils, who have missed the playoffs the past four seasons, have not had a top-notch goal scorer Zach Parise was lost to free agency in 2012 and Ilya Kovalchuk retired and returned to Russia the following season.
Hall spent his entire six-year career with the Oilers, getting 132 goals and 196 assists in 381 games.
He has led Edmonton in scoring for three of the past four seasons, and has finished in the top three on the squad in each of his six seasons. This past season, he had 26 goals and 39 assists. He represented the Oilers at the All-Star Game.
"I'm an offensive-minded player," Hall said. "There is no doubt. I love having the puck on my stick and having the puck in the offensive zone."
Hall believes his best years are ahead of him, and that playing with a team that demands responsibility on both ends of the ice will help his game.
Larsson had three goals and 15 assists, playing in all 82 games on the Devils' top defensive pairing. The Swede has nine goals and 60 assists in 274 games.
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