The news comes less than two days prior to the start of the free-agent signing period, and with no shortage of suitors vying to lure him out of the Sunshine State.
MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens have traded defenceman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for defenceman Shea Weber.
The 27-year-old Toronto native scored six goals and 45 assists in 68 games last season for the Canadiens.
Weber was ...
NEWARK, N.J. - The New Jersey Devils have acquired former No. 1 overall draft pick Tyler Hall from the Edmonton Oilers for defenceman Adam Larsson.
The teams announced the trade Wednesday, two days before the start of free agency.
The trad...
Subban had a no-movement clause in his contract that would have kicked in on July 1. His name had been in the rumor mill for months, but the trade still comes as a shock. His contract runs through 2021 at a salary cap hit of $9 million.
Weber is now the former captain of the Predators. He's signed through the 2025-26 season at $7.857 million. By the salary cap, the two players were the highest-paid defenders in the NHL.
Poile in a statement on Subban: “Superstar defensemen of his caliber are a rare commodity, and we are thrilled to add him to the organiztn.”
Subban had six goals and 45 assists last season, but was a lightning rod for criticism after Montreal's season fell apart after a very strong start. Weber had 51 points and scored 20 goals - the third time in his career he's hit the mark.
Weber's a five-time All-Star and three-time Norris Trophy finalst, while Subban's twice participated at the annual midseason showcase. Trade talks began to get serious at last week's draft, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.
Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said the following in a statement:
We completed today an important transaction which I am convinced will make the Canadiens a better team. It was also one of the most difficult decisions I had to make as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. In Shea Weber, we get a top-rated NHL defenseman with tremendous leadership, and a player who will improve our defensive group as well as our powerplay for many years to come. Shea Weber led all NHL defensemen last season with 14 powerplay goals. He is a complete rearguard with impressive size and a powerful shot. P.K. Subban is a special and very talented player. He provided the Canadiens organization with strong performances on the ice and generous commitment in the community. I wish him the best of luck with the Predators
After pulling off a reported one-for-one trade involving Adam Larsson of the New Jersey Devils, the wide world of hockey Twitter exploded with a mix of shock, and, well, derision.
Here's a sampling of some of the best reactions.
The Oilers just traded away a top-right EV scorer in the league for a guy who doesn't even move the needle when he's on the ice.
The Oilers have been rumored for weeks to be in the market for a defenseman, but many figured if Hall was on his way out of town, a package of some sort would be coming the other way.
Hall, the first overall pick by the Oilers in 2010, will turn 25 on Nov. 14. He had 26 goals and 39 assists last season, suiting up in all 82 games for the first time in his career. His best season came in 2013-14, when he posted 80 points - 27 goals and 53 assists - in 75 games. He is one of the game's best young offensive talents, and signed through 2020 at a cap hit of $6 million.
Larsson will turn 24 in November and was the fourth overall pick in 2011 by the Devils. He's a stay-at-home defender, and had three goals and 15 assists in 82 games last season. He posted the lowest Corsi For percentage of his five-year career in 2015-16 at 43.5 percent.
The Oilers aren't saving a lot of money in this deal, as Larsson is signed through 2021 at a cap number of $4.167 million. However, the trade will ramp up speculation that the Oilers will be signing pending unrestricted free-agent winger Milan Lucic to a lucrative contract on July 1, in order to make up for the loss of Hall's offense.
Regardless of what happens Friday, this trade is likely to be blasted by Oilers fans in Edmonton, while lauded in Newark.
EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers are trading forward Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for defenceman Adam Larsson.
Hall had 26 goals and 39 assists in 82 games last season.
He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
La...
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Wild have re-signed left wing Jason Zucker to a two-year, $4 million contract.
The deal was done Wednesday, preventing Zucker from becoming a restricted free agent. He will make $2 million in each of the next t...
Every NHL team wants to add scoring in free agency, but many teams are either hamstrung by the salary cap or simply priced out of the high-profile bidding wars.
Steven Stamkos, Kyle Okposo, and Loui Eriksson are getting the attention as July 1 nears, and they'll each garner hefty raises, but a handful of sneakily productive forwards can likely be had for more reasonable prices.
Here are five under-the-radar free-agent forwards that warrant consideration this summer:
Jamie McGinn
McGinn was one of the most underrated acquisitions before the 2016 trade deadline, scoring a career-high 22 goals combined with the Buffalo Sabres and the Anaheim Ducks in 2015-16.
The versatile winger fit in well alongside Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart on the Sabres' top line before being dealt to the deeper Ducks, and he's posted 19- and 20-goal seasons in the past.
His offensive ceiling isn't sky high, but he's good for at least 15 goals and provides a dose of physicality when it's called for.
P.A. Parenteau
Parenteau led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 20 goals this season, and only Nazem Kadri had more points among Leafs (45) than Parenteau (41).
The pending unrestricted free agent is coming off a one-year, $1.5-million deal, providing one of the best bang-for-buck values in the league.
Parenteau ranked third on Toronto in even-strength Corsi For percentage among players with at least 40 games played, showing his ability to drive possession on the NHL's 13th-best club in that regard.
The 33-year-old is in line for a pay increase, but he's still flying under the radar as July 1 approaches.
Teddy Purcell
Purcell didn't produce much for the Edmonton Oilers, recording 32 points in 61 games in 2015-16, but he improved after being traded to the Florida Panthers as a pre-deadline rental, posting 11 points in 15 games and scoring twice in six playoff contests.
The 30-year-old notched 24 goals and 65 points with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2011-12, so he's capable of contributing offensively, even if it means expecting 15 goals and 40 points per season at this point in his career.
Purcell isn't a bad option for teams looking to add depth to their bottom six, and he can probably be had for a discount, coming off the final season of a three-year, $13.5-million extension signed with Tampa Bay in 2012.
Radim Vrbata
There are certainly reasons to balk at signing Vrbata on July 1. He turned 35 a couple of weeks ago, and he's coming off his worst season from a production standpoint since his third year in the league with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2003-04.
There are also reasons to consider him. Vrbata is only two seasons removed from a 31-goal, 63-point campaign with the Canucks, and his shooting percentage was a mere 6.5 in 2015-16.
He's not as bad as that primarily luck-driven statistic would indicate, nor is he likely as good as the 11.6-percent shooting he posted in 2014-15, but he should fall somewhere in between next season.
Jason Chimera
There aren't going to be many teams lining up to court Chimera, but the 37-year-old is actually coming off one of his best seasons.
He scored 20 goals in 2015-16 - tying a career high - and his 40 points represented his second-highest total in that category over his 15 NHL campaigns.
Chimera might not replicate his contract-year output - and by no means is he a possession darling - but the veteran is another depth forward who could help solidify a contending club's bottom six.
The 22-year-old entered the offseason as a pending restricted free agent, having recorded career highs in goals (21), assists (25), and total points (46) in 2015-16.
Hertl also played an integral part in San Jose's run to the Stanley Cup Final, scoring six goals and adding five assists in 20 playoff games before suffering an injury early in the championship series against Pittsburgh.
