Making some of his most pointed comments to date, Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber appeared on a Vancouver radio station Thursday and expressed disappointment with teammate Alex Radulov.
Radulov, along with Andrei Kostitsyn, was suspended for Game 3 of the Phoenix series for violating curfew. Radulov and Kostitsyn were also held out of Game 4 (called a “hockey decision” by head coach Barry Trotz) and the Preds wound up losing the series in five.
Weber called the incident a “distraction” and “unfortunate.” When asked by host Bob Marjanovich about being part of the Nashville leadership group that asked GM David Poile to bring Radulov back from the KHL, Weber replied:
“I don’t really know what to say about it because I was one of the guys that stood up for him and wanted him back. There were a bunch of us that played with him that felt the same way.
“You feel a little bit betrayed, but I am sure he feels bad about it now and he looks back on it and wishes it didn’t happen. Those are the things you can’t take back and we’ve got to move forward.”
You can listen to the full interview here. Weber also discusses teammate and impending UFA Ryan Suter (they haven’t spoken since season’s end, but Weber plans to speak with him soon), his current RFA status and the notion he’d like to play in Vancouver -- something the Norris-nominated defenseman quickly shot down.
“That’s not something that I think about,” Weber said. “I think about playing for the Nashville Predators right now and winning a Stanley Cup.”