Conflicting Reports Suggest Shea Weber’s NHL Future Uncertain

Potentially awful news is coming out of Montreal on Wednesday as Shea Weber’s injury has insiders questioning his future this season and moving forward.

This is not what Montreal Canadiens fans or the team wanted to hear but it seems like captain Shea Weber could be out longer than expected. The Montreal Canadiens placed Weber on injured reserve last Thursday with a lower-body injury, said to be an ankle sprain. Unfortunately, there may be more to it than that.

While the Canadiens figured they might be without their d-man for a week or a bit longer, new reports are coming out that the injury could be a lot more serious, Montreal updating the report to be anywhere between four-to-six weeks. Worse yet, Nick Kypreos just came out with news that the injury could not only keep Weber out of the lineup for the remainder of the season, but could also put his career in jeopardy. 

Sources say Shea Weber injury has his season likely over and his future in question. Told injury is related to foot that was surgically repaired in 2018. While waiting for swelling to alleviate and further confirmation, surgery seemed unavoidable going into this week. @nhl #weber

— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) February 12, 2020

Kypreos explains that the injury is related to Weber’s foot that was surgically repaired in 2018. Two surgeries later, including one to repair job to a torn meniscus in his knee, Weber was finally able to return to the NHL. He is suggesting Weber might, yet again, need surgery.

Meanwhile, other reports are coming out that this injury is serious but not career-threatening. Chantal Machabee writes:

Shea Weber underwent a re-evaluation of his left ankle by orthopedic specialist, Dr. Robert Anderson today in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Shea suffered an ankle sprain, and his recovery period is expected to be 4 to 6 weeks. Full recovery is expected.

The Montreal Canadiens sent out a statement saying something similar.

How Does This Affect The Predators?

If Shea Weber’s injury forces him to retire, the Nashville Predators have a serious issue. The salary cap penalties if Weber retires are monstrous. You can see the breakdown below by year:

20-21 NSH $4.1M + MTL $762K
21-22 NSH $4.91M + MTL $543K
22-23 NSH $6.14M + MTL $215K
23-24 NSH $8.19M
24-25 NSH $12.29M
25-26 NSH $24.57M

But, this could just be an LTIR issue that would give the Canadiens over $7 million in cap space and leave the Preds relatively unscathed. Both sides need to hope Weber’s injury isn’t so serious that his future is unclear because the ripple effects of that happening are incredible.