Subban Speaks
P.K Subban had a lengthy interview with Sportsnet discussing his trade out of Montreal. He did well to dodge questions that the organization and/or his teammates didn’t care for his personality, all the while not refuting such claims. One thing is abundantly clear: P.K loves Montreal. And for a city that hockey-crazy, with that much scrutiny, and that much pressure, it almost a travesty they sent away a superstar who actually thrived in the culture. It’s not to suggest that other stars wouldn’t want to play for the Habs, but Subban was the perfect fit for that environment. Unfortunately, he was the wrong fit according to management. And that’s a shame. For the full interview, click here: [Sportsnet]
Habs GM Marc Bergevin also had his say about the difficult trade decision. For the Canadiens to be better, it will take more than just swapping one defenceman for another. Shea Weber will provide an element that they didn’t have before. He’s tough to play against, and they needed that. He’s also money on the powerplay, something else they needed. Although it stings to lose Subban, I hope that the fans embrace Weber. Yes, he’s getting older, but in my opinion he’s still a top-five defenceman in the NHL. The injury to Carey Price was unfortunate, but it also exposed every weakness on this squad. Perhaps that was for the best, because now they know what to fix. [NHL.com], [Eyes on the Prize]
In Other News…
The Habs are moving their AHL affiliate much closer to home. [Montreal Gazette], [CJAD]
How come Auston Matthews hasn’t signed his ELC yet? [Today’s Slapshot]
Jimmy Vesey likes Buffalo, but he still plans to milk everything out of his free agent summer. [The Hockey News]
Las Vegas has their General Manager. [CBC], [CBS Sports]
The Penguins have re-signed defenceman Justin Schultz. [Edmonton Journal]
Sidney Crosby is looking forward to his second homecoming with the Stanley Cup. [Yahoo Sports]
Some players spend their summers getting DUI’s, or assault charges. Crosby teaches little kids how to play hockey. [CTV News]
The Rangers finally cut a deal with J.T Miller. [Full Tilt NYR]
And finally, Taylor Hall will be wearing the number 9 in New Jersey. [NBC Sports]