Would the Montreal Canadiens ever entertain the idea of trading away No. 1 defenseman and former Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban?
Subban was benched and blamed by Habs head coach Michel Therrien for Montreal’s road loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night after committing a costly turnover in the final three minutes.
Therrien’s comments, in addition to the Canadiens’ emphatic fall in the standings over the last three months, have re-ignited the debate over whether he’s the right head coach for the Habs and if they should fire him soon, over the summer or not at all.
Very few people have suggested Subban is the problem, and he isn’t. However, Louis Jean of TVA Sports tweeted Friday morning that Subban’s name has come up around the league with the NHL trade deadline a little more than one week away.
Trading Subban would be a really bad move. There’s no other way to describe it. He’s one of the best players in the league, in the prime of his career and performs at the level of a top-pairing defenseman.
It should be noted that trading Subban becomes much harder for Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin on July 1 because, according to General Fanager, that’s when the no-movement clause in his contract begins and runs through the end of the deal in 2022.
It shouldn’t matter, though, because trading Subban is a ridiculous idea. Teams go to great lengths to acquire No. 1 defensemen, so it would be foolish to give up one of the best ones, especially when he’s already signed long-term and wants to be in Montreal.
Thumbnail photo via Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports Images
