P.K. Subban reveals circumstances of his surprise trade from Montreal Canadiens in Shea Weber deal

Former NHL defenseman-turned-analyst P.K. Subban recently opened up about the trade that sent him from the Montreal Canadiens to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber.

The deal, which took place in June 2016, was orchestrated by then-Montreal GM Marc Bergevin before P.K. Subban’s no-movement clause came into effect.

Now, almost 10 years later, Subban discussed the trade during a recent interview on La Poche Bleue, stating:

“It wasn’t my choice.”

Indeed, the Canadiens wanted to move P.K. Subban before he had a say in the deal. The deal, while not a complete surprise, stunned Subban. He added:

“I had unfinished business in Montreal. The opportunity to fulfill the goal that I started out there to do and that was to win a Stanley Cup.”

Subban underscored the following:

“That was taken away from me. The disappointing part was that wasn’t ultimately left up to me.”

The remorse in Subban’s words underscores how much he wanted to win a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens. Of course, that opportunity never came to fruition.

Instead, Subban moved on to Nashville where he had a chance to win it all in 2017. Unfortunately, Nashville fell to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As for Shea Weber, he played in Montreal until the 2021 season. Weber captained the Habs during the magical playoff run in the bubble where they eventually lost to the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

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P.K. Subban knew the trade was coming

Subban expressed how the trade itself was not a surprise to him. He had heard rumblings during the season and the early summer leading up to the deal.

Subban stated:

“I already had known earlier that summer that when a GM or an organization doesn’t come out and bite things in the butt right away and say, ‘hey, we’re not trading this guy. This guy’s here. We signed him to eight years and he’s gonna be here for eight years. He just came out and said that we’re not looking to trade P.K.”

Subban’s comments referred to Bergevin and his lack of effort to dispel trade rumors involving Subban. That attitude was a clear indication that a deal was in the works. Subban concluded by stating:

“You know, I moved on and had a chance to win a Stanley Cup in Nashville. Got really, really close.”

Subban retired following the 2021-22 season after playing 77 games for the New Jersey Devils that season. Injuries and declining performance led Subban to hang up his skates after playing in over 800 NHL games, including 96 playoff contests.

P.K. Subban took home the King Clancy Trophy in 2022 due to his humanitarian contributions to his community.