P.K. Subban and Shea Weber will square off against their former clubs when the Montreal Canadiens host the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
The franchise defensemen were famously traded for each other in June 2016, and their careers took on different trajectories afterward.
Below, we review how the Predators and Canadiens - along with Subban and Weber - have fared since the blockbuster deal.
Team statistics
| Category | Predators | Canadiens |
|---|---|---|
| Overall record | 73-41-21 | 69-52-15 |
| Winning percentage | 54 | 50 |
| Goals for | 406 | 368 |
| Goals against | 362 | 369 |
| Power-play opportunities | 443 | 394 |
| Power-play goals | 92 | 81 |
| Power-play percentage | 20.7 | 20.5 |
| Power-play opportunities against | 435 | 421 |
| Power-play goals allowed | 80 | 85 |
| Penalty-kill percentage | 81.7 | 79.9 |
Upon first glance, it would appear Nashville merely possesses a slight edge over Montreal. However, if you consider the Canadiens flew out of the gate last season to a 13-1-1 mark before their record stabilized, the disparity between the two teams becomes more evident. The Predators ultimately went to the Stanley Cup Final last season and few would be surprised to see them playing again this June with another shot at the title. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have devolved into disarray, toiling near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Subban vs. Weber
| Category | Subban | Weber |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | 119 | 104 |
| Goals | 25 | 23 |
| Assists | 58 | 35 |
| Points | 83 | 58 |
| Power-play Goals | 7 | 14 |
| Plus-Minus | 3 | 12 |
| Corsi For % (5-on-5) | 53.61 | 52.18 |
| Points/60 (5-on-5) | 1.07 | 0.85 |
| PDO (5-on-5) | 100.16 | 100.32 |
Many wondered why Montreal would trade a younger, healthier defenseman nearing his apex in Subban for a player in the latter stages of his prime in Weber. And Subban has been the far superior player since the deal, although Weber's totals have been inflated by an unsustainable 12 power-play goals he scored in 2016-2017. The tale of the tape appears closer than expected on the surface, but the Predators should still be tried for grand larceny after stealing Subban away - a hypothesis supported by statistics, the eye test, and team performance.
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