The 2016 blockbuster trade that sent Shea Weber from the Nashville Predators to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for P.K. Subban was a shock on a number of levels. But for Subban, it was also a public statement that Montreal didn’t fully believe in him as a long-term cornerstone.
The trade has been framed by many – including by Subban himself – as a kind of redemption arc, both on and off the ice. If Montreal was questioning whether Subban could be a No. 1 defenseman in all situations, his run with the Predators was his answer.