P.K. Subban not wearing a Montreal Canadiens sweater seems unthinkable, but it appears there’s at least some chance he could be traded before, during or after Friday night’s NHL draft.
“Pierre LeBrun reported yesterday that the Canadiens were getting more phone calls on P.K. Subban. And I do kind of chuckle a little bit at how we’re kind of characterizing this,” TSN’s Bob McKenzie said Thursday on TSN 1040 radio, as transcribed by Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot.
“The Canadiens obviously don’t want it out there, ‘We’re trying to dump P.K. Subban.’ And in fairness to them, they’re not trying to dump P.K. Subban. But, I mean, they’re not playing tiddlywinks on these calls, either. These are serious calls, and they’re entertaining offers on P.K. Subban.”
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks are interested in Subban. It should be noted that if Subban is going to be traded, it’s probably going to happen before July 1 because that’s when the no-movement clause in his contract kicks in.
Subban is among the five best defensemen in the league and a generational talent. He’s an amazing skater, moves the puck extremely well, quarterbacks the power play and tallies a ton of points each season. Subban is a legit No. 1 defenseman and a cornerstone-type of player.
Trading Subban makes very little sense for Montreal, but at the same time, general manager Marc Bergevin has to at least take the calls and do his job. If a team wants to overpay for Subban, a deal must be considered.
That said, it’s very hard to find players of Subban’s caliber, so Montreal must take back a defenseman of some kind in any potential trade involving the former Norris Trophy winner.
Thumbnail photo via Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports Images
