The decision to trade Shea Weber was not one taken lightly by Nashville Predators general manager David Poile.

The defenseman, who's served as captain and face of the franchise for years, was dealt Wednesday to the Montreal Canadiens for P.K. Subban, and the decision came only after Poile conducted numerous meeting with his staff since the NHL Draft, he told Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.

"(Weber) grew up here. I call him a foundation piece. He's probably had the most influence and impact on our franchise of any player, Poile said. "He was our captain. It's one thing to trade a player, but somebody that's been with you 12-13 years, you don't stay that long without having an impact on the franchise.

"This was not a normal trade. From ownership to coaches to all of us in hockey ops, this was not an easy decision. It was a hard one."

On the flip side, however, was the opportunity to add one of the most exciting players in the NHL to an already electric roster.

"Hey, I'm a general manager, but I'm a fan, too. We're in the entertainment business. We've got some exciting players," Poile said.

"I love our goalie and how acrobatic he is, I love Roman Josi rushing the puck or Ryan Ellis rushing the puck, I like the swagger of James Neal, the goal-scoring ability of Filip Forsberg, I like the potential of Ryan Johansen, and now you can add in P.K. Subban - arguably one of the most energetic and most dynamic players in the National Hockey League."

Seemingly always on the verge of making noise in the Western Conference, Poile has added both Johansen and Subban in the past seven months, giving his team as good a chance as ever of becoming legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

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