PK Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber

cournoyer

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2012
515
Enfield, Connecticut
I'm a Sox, Pats, Celts... and Habs fan. I'm also a pretty strong optimist when it comes to roster moves, perhaps because I've lived through the Belichick era. However, this trade is an absolute disaster. I can't imagine how Bergevin was convincing himself that this was the right move to make. I've never been a huge fan of the diving stuff that Subban would get into from time to time, but the dude was an electric hockey player. Although he was flashy and could be seen carrying the puck through the neutral zone, he was for the most part an unselfish player who made everyone around him better. Not to mention the $10 million he donated to the Children's Hospital.

Shea Weber is a great defenseman in his own right, but there are signs that there could be some decline. I admittedly haven't watched him enough on the Preds to know the extent of the decline, but the season seemed to be a little long for him as he was slow during the playoffs. He is supposedly a high character guy and he'll certainly by fun to watch on the power play with Markov, but so was Subban.

I'm never convinced about locker room feud conspiracies, but I have a strong feeling that this was the breaking point between Therrien and Subban. Also the Montreal media, constantly dogging Subban and creating trade rumors. I don't know how or if it affected Bergevin (as I think he is a professional), but it's a shocker to me.
 

PedroSpecialK

Comes at you like a tornado of hair and the NHL sa
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2004
27,163
Cambridge, MA
IIRC, with recapture, that would come back to bite Nashville in the ass, not Montreal (since Nashville technically benefitted from paying Weber more than his cap hit).

With a $6.14m difference in salary v. AAV for the first 4 years of the deal, Nashville accrued ~$24.56m in recapture penalties. The way that's penalized against the cap is:

If Weber retires early, say x amount of years before his contract concludes, that $24.56m is paid out over those x number of years. Stupidly (from the NHL's standpoint), that means that if Weber retires with 1 year remaining on his deal, Nashville could theoretically be dinged $24.56m in 2025-26 in recapture penalties.

Now the only thing I'm unsure of is whether salary v. signing bonuses will count differently under recapture rules, as $13m of the $14m Weber was due each of those seasons was a signing bonus (a ploy by Philly to bankrupt Nashville into not matching the offer sheet). There generally isn't a distinction there so I'd be surprised if it did, but something to consider I guess. The NHL will likely change the rule/interpretation of cap recapture by the time Weber retires anyhow so it'll likely be moot.
 

Spacemans Bong

chapeau rose
SoSH Member
It's the 26th anniversary of trhe Chelios trade. Really.

Hearing Poile wet his pants with joy just underscores what a bad trade this is.

Well there are plenty of articles out there. For example - http://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/nhl/montreal-canadiens/stu-cowan-signs-point-to-divisions-in-canadiens-locker-room

And this is just awkward. Probably doesn't mean anything but I found it funny regardless.
Oh no, I'm not doubting you - I read the stories too. I just don't know why the team should have cared. It's like having a utility infielder complain that Ted Williams is a dick. As Don Draper said to Ginsberg, I don't think of you at all. And that's what the team should have said.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,716
So this would kinda be like trading Mookie or Xander for Ian Kinsler?
 

RG33

Certain Class of Poster
SoSH Member
Nov 28, 2005
7,192
CA
This is like making that fantasy baseball trade out of boredom and then waking up the next day and realizing it was horrific and everyone is going to bust your chops.

Except, this is real.

Wow.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2006
16,071
Tuukka's refugee camp
Oh give me a fucking break. PK is different. He's a hockey player with a personality who dresses like Broadway Joe. Not sure why that quote should be interpreted any other way.
 

sachmoney

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 14, 2008
9,513
Tim Thomas' Bunker
Can we talk about how exciting a Roman Josi-PK Subban top pairing is going to be? It'll lack some of the physical backbone that was there with Weber, but my god, they're two of the most dynamic defensemen playmakers in the league. I cannot wait to watch them. The potential cap hit from an early Weber retirement is obviously a big issue down the line, but the next 3-4 years of those two might be incredible to watch on the ice.
 

Bozo Texino

still hates Dave Kerpen
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
11,692
Austin, Texas
Sportsnet's recent interview with Subban included this gem:

A source told Sportsnet that Matt Pfeffer, who was hired as an analytics consultant at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, made an impassioned and elaborate presentation to management to dissuade them from following through on this trade.

Ignoring Pfeffer’s advice only served to reinforce the notion that Bergevin was following different criteria in his evaluation of both players, said the source, who also suggested Pfeffer’s vehemence on the matter might have ultimately cost him the job (he was told on Wednesday that his contract won’t be renewed). The Canadiens would not comment on why they aren’t renewing his contract, but they did say that they are looking into other analytics solutions.