NHL Trade: Canadiens and Predators swap P.K. Subban for Shea Weber

The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators completed a blockbuster trade when they swapped their star defensemen P.K. Subban and Shea Weber.

P.K. Subban and Shea Weber, two of the highest paid defensemen in the NHL, just switched teams. With Subban carrying a cap hit of $9 million over eight years while Weber was making $12 million over 14 years, it appeared that both of them would be mainstays on their teams for a long time. But that was not to be, as they both got traded on the same day … for each other.

You have to think that the Nashville Predators are big-time winners in this trade. They made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2015-16, but Weber’s game was declining, and that was never more evident than in Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks, when he was a -3.

The Montreal Canadiens plummeted to the bottom of the standings last season just one year after they rode Carey Price’s goaltending all the way to the Conference Finals. They spent draft day acquiring Andrew Shaw, and have now given away one of their key pieces. Sure he was making a lot of money, but Weber is making more. Plus he’s an aging defenseman who’s signed until 2026-27. And on top of all of this, they’re likely to keep Michel Therrien.

This trade was just one of three big moves made in the span of 30 minutes, with Taylor Hall getting traded to New Jersey and Steven Stamkos staying in Tampa Bay. The NHL offseason has officially begun, and teams are wasting no time with formalities.

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