Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens Subban Trade? Years Later, the Truth Is Different

The P.K. Subban trade shocked hockey fans. Years later, did Shea Weber become exactly what the Canadiens needed?

by
Old Prof
July 26, 2026

If you were watching Montreal Canadiens hockey back in 2016, you remember exactly how loud that P.K. Subban to Nashville / Shea Weber to Montreal trade felt. For me, it wasn’t just “big.” It was one of those moves where I remember thinking Montreal had to be wrong. Subban was the fun, electric face of the franchise in Montreal. He was charismatic, flashy, and clearly loved by everyone. Meanwhile, Weber was the quieter, more traditional, old-school captain type.

So when it happened, my reaction was basically a surprise. Because it looked like Montreal was trading away their spark for a version that felt like it might be less exciting, less “main character,” and way more about structure. And early on, it seemed like the outsiders might be right: Subban had that kind of talent where you could almost feel the league grabbing popcorn whenever he was on the ice.

Weber Didn’t Just Show Up, He Became a Canadiens Core Piece

But what surprised me most is that Weber didn’t just show up as a replacement. He actually became a long-time core piece. He fit the Canadiens in a way that didn’t rely on flashy highlights. He was that stabilizing presence you can feel in the locker room and in the defensive zone. Marc Bergevin framed the trade in terms of culture and leadership, and at the time it sounded like classic GM talk. Except Weber’s results backed it up.

In Montreal, Weber played several seasons and put up solid production when he was healthy. Most importantly, he became the Habs captain. That captain part mattered. He wasn’t just doing his job on the ice. He was setting the tone, being respected around the league, and helping the team during what they called a “reset.”

And once you watched him in that role, the trade stopped looking like a loss and started looking like a decision that made sense for where Montreal was trying to go.

Sadly, Injuries Piled Up for Weber and He Couldn’t Continue

Now, was the trade perfect? Not so much. Injuries eventually piled up for Weber, and Subban’s career path after Nashville didn’t exactly kill the “what if” feeling either. But still, when I look back, I can’t deny it: the trade that once felt like Montreal got cheated ended up becoming exactly what they needed, at least for a big chunk of Weber’s Canadiens run.

Trades can be surprises. In this case, the Canadiens got it exactly right.