FEATURE | Shea Weber, More Than a Shot

by Matt Smith, Staff Writer/Social Media Specialist, All Habs Hockey Magazine

Trade talks were in full effect throughout the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and everyone in attendance, as well as everyone watching from home, took a deep breath when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced “We have a trade.” The tension mounted for Habs fans when the name of the Montreal Canadiens was read.

We discovered that Lars Eller had been traded to the Washington Capitals, and that the Habs obtained forward Andrew Shaw from the Chicago Blackhawks. As fans collected their breath, the NHL Draft was soon over and P.K. Subban was still a member of the Montreal Canadiens. But not for much longer.

Wednesday June 29, 2016 is a date that will go down in the Canadiens history books, when one of the biggest faces of the franchise, P.K. Subban was traded to the Nashville Predators for their captain Shea Weber. It’s a trade that has been wildly criticized by analysts and fans alike, pointing out the contributions Subban has made to the city of Montreal, the age factor, Subban winning a Norris Trophy and a shorter contract.

However, many are overlooking the elite defenseman Subban was traded for, Shea Weber. Let me start off by declaring Shea Weber is not P.K. Subban, P.K. Subban is not Shea Weber, and even though they’ll continue to draw comparisons due to this trade, they’re two different players, and that is how fans should see it. The trade was completed, and as bizarre as it may be, Subban will not be suiting up for the Montreal Canadiens on opening night. Instead, a new face will lead the Montreal blue line corps.

Shea Weber, Defence, Montreal Canadiens
August 14, 1985 | Sicamous, British Columbia, Canada
6-4, 236 lbs. | Shoots: Right
2015-16 stats (Nashville Predators): 78 GP, 20 G, 31 A, 51 points, 169 hits, 160 blocks

Let’s be clear, Shea Weber is more than just a slap shot. He has represented Team Canada at the Olympic Winter Games on two separate occasions (2010 and 2014), both times winning a gold medal, and was an alternate captain in 2014. Weber finished tied for first among Team Canada players with fellow defenseman Drew Doughty with six points (three goals, three assists) in six games. Weber played more than any Canadian player throughout the tournament, recording big minutes versus the top players in the world.

Meanwhile, P.K. Subban barely saw the ice throughout the entire tournament, logging just 11:41 in total ice time, compared to that of Weber’s 131:00 total time on ice. Two years later, Shea Weber was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, while P.K. Subban was left off the team completely.

Shea Weber is a three time Norris Trophy finalist, (2011, 2012, and 2014) and many believe he should have won multiple times, particularly if you look at defensive play over points accumulated. At 6-foot-4 and 236 pounds, he’ll add size and a physical presence to discourage those who are courageous enough to get too close to Carey Price.

Weber is no slouch when it comes to creating offense however, as he has accumulated 40+ points eight of the past 10 seasons. During the lockout shortened season, he was on pace for another, finishing the season with 28 points in 48 games. During the 2015-2016 season, he  finished fourth among NHL defensemen in goal scoring, behind Brent Burns (27), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (21), and Mark Giordano (21).

Weber is also a deadly weapon on the man advantage, scoring 14 of his 20 goals last season on the power-play. Now close your eyes and simply envision, Weber on the blue line, Gallagher generating havoc in front of the net, Galchenyuk ready for a one-timer, all on the same unit, with Kirk Muller running the show. And I haven’t even mentioned Alexander Radulov, Andrei Markov or Max Pacioretty! The Habs power-play will undoubtedly generate more scoring chances in 2016-2017, and with any luck, return to its former success under Kirk Muller’s management.

Weber has also been named to the NHL All-Star Game five times, while winning the hardest shot competition in both 2015 (108.5 MPH) and 2016 (108.1 MPH.) Eastern Conference, you’ve been warned!

Most recently Weber was named as an alternate captain of the Montreal Canadiens, a position previously held by P.K. Subban. He’ll now join a leadership group which includes fellow A’s, Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher with Max Pacioretty returning as captain. Leadership is an area where Weber will certainly be able to assist the Canadiens, especially since the Habs leadership core was exposed after Carey Price was injured.

Weber wore the ‘C’ in Nashville from 2010-2016, has worn a letter for Canada internationally and won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2016.  He’ll now be able to complement the Habs leadership group on and off the ice. He was also consulted by Marc Bergevin before former Predators teammate Alexander Radulov was signed during free agency to a one-year, $5.75 million contract. If all goes well, Radulov could become the best free agent signing of the off-season, not only for the Habs, but in the entire NHL.

Multiple players have weighed in on the Subban-Weber trade, including Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Toews, Captain Max Pacioretty, alternate captain Brendan Gallagher and new Hab Andrew Shaw.

“Personally, I would take Shea Weber on my team, I’ve played against Shea Weber more. Being in the West, we only got to see P.K. twice this season. Being in Weber’s conference, I got to see him a lot.” Scheifele would also add “He’s just so strong. He can control a game. First off, his physicality is a huge asset of his. Every time he touches you, it feels like your bones are gonna crack which is definitely a tough thing to deal with. He’s just a competitor. Every shift, he treats it like it’s his last shift. He’s just so tough to beat. He’s an all-around unbelievable player, and obviously his shot is dangerous as well.” — Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Hey Webs good luck in Montreal thanks for leaving our division! #relief

— Jonathan Toews (@JonathanToews) June 29, 2016

“[Weber] is one of the best leaders in the league. With all the moves we made, I feel a little less pressure. I’ve already learned a lot from Shea.” — Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty

“I don’t think there’s any more pressure than putting on the Team Canada jersey for an Olympic gold-medal game. He understands how to deal with that. I think he’ll be just fine.” — Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher

“I don’t have to play against Shea Weber anymore, so that’s a huge positive. We’ve had some good battles in front of the net. He actually broke one of my ribs, so I know he is a tough defenseman and he is going to be great for us.” — Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw

Shea Weber made his first appearance in Montreal on August 9^th, where he was surrounded on all sides by the media at head coach Michel Therrien’s annual golf tournament. The tournament raised $170,000, with all proceeds being donated to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.

‘It’s exciting to be back in Canada, let alone the mecca of hockey, the place where people just eat, sleep and breathe hockey,” said Weber. The Canadiens new number one defenceman added “I think we’ve put together a really good team, a competitive team that can compete this year, and I’m looking forward to fitting in with this group. It’s an exciting time to be here.”

Shea Weber also participated in the second annual Brendan Gallagher Celebrity Softball Classic on August 13^th, which included Nathan Beaulieu, Milan Lucic, and Josh Gorges among its participants. The event raised both funding and awareness for Shriners Hospital for Children.

One area I believe Weber will excel is that of a mentorship role to the Habs young defenders, particularly Mikhail Sergachev, the Canadiens  2016 first round pick (ninth overall.)  Some fans have already penciled Sergachev next to Weber for the 2017-’18 season, as a replacement for Andrei Markov.

Just a few words about Sergachev. He is a naturally fluid skater and plays a strong two-way game being named the OHL’s most outstanding defenceman last season. With the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, Sergachev scored 17 goals while adding 40 assists. With NHL size (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) and his performance at the Canadiens development camp, there has been talk that the 18-year-old Russian could very well crack the Habs 2016-’17 roster. But Sergachev will most likely return to the Spitfires where he’ll log big minutes, build on an extremely impressive rookie campaign and will participate in the Memorial Cup.

As the 2016-’17 season approaches, there is no player on the Canadiens roster that will face more pressure or scrutiny than Shea Weber, both on and off the ice. Weber will now be thrown into the Montreal spotlight and an All-Star/Norris Trophy calibre season will be expected of him.

We’re all aware that the analytics junkies will be all over the Subban-Weber trade throughout the entire season, but if Montreal has a successful season in the standings, the power-play improves and Carey Price is protected, who cares about analytics?

I, for one, welcome Shea Weber to the Montreal Canadiens organization. Weber is a great player and a superb leader who will help this team win. I wish him all the best as he suits up for the bleu, blanc et rouge.