It’s been eight years since the Montreal Canadiens made one of their most groundbreaking trades in franchise history, dealing defenceman PK Subban to the Nashville Predators for fellow blueliner Shea Weber.
Coming off a Norris Trophy win, Subban was beloved by Canadiens fans at the time. Meanwhile, the Predators were losing a captain and important locker room presence in Weber.
And although both players have stepped away from the game, the debate still rages on.
As the one who pulled the trigger on the blockbuster trade back in 2016, former Predators general manager David Poile recently revisited the topic in a radio interview.
“That one’s probably at the top of my list of difficult trades to do,” the retired GM told 102.5-FM’s Robby Stanley and Joe Rexrode ahead of the Predators’ 25th anniversary ceremony.
Poile, who served as GM from 1997 to 2023, admitted that he regrets making the move.
“In the bigger picture, I wish Shea had never been traded,” Poile said. “I’m being very honest with you when I say that.”
Nevertheless, the trade wasn’t necessarily bad for Nashville, with Subban, who was traded to the New Jersey Devils in 2019, helping the team reach their first Stanley Cup Final in his first season in Tennessee.
“It worked well for us. It worked fine for Shea. I mean, we got into the Stanley Cup Final,” Poile explained. “We almost won the Cup, and that was certainly the impetus to do the deal.”
Ultimately, though, Poile would have preferred that Weber — who led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 — retire with the team that drafted him.
“I wish it never would have happened. I wish we could have signed him on some contract and he just retire here.”
While Subban officially announced his retirement in 2022 at age 33, Weber is still under contract until the end of the 2025-26 season but has not played since the 2021 playoffs.
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