The P.K. Subban for Shea Weber trade hasn’t gone over very well in Montreal. Most of the team’s fans are still outraged by the fact that the organization’s most charismatic player was shipped out of town for a player nearly four years older.
Now, it sounds like someone inside the Canadiens’ organization wasn’t enamored with the trade either and it may have cost him his job.
According to Sportsnet, the Canadiens didn’t renew analytics consultant Matt Pfeffer’s contract because he was opposed to the team trading Subban for Weber.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
A source told Sportsnet that Matt Pfeffer, who was hired as an analytics consultant at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, made an impassioned and elaborate presentation to management to dissuade them from following through on this trade.
Ignoring Pfeffer’s advice only served to reinforce the notion that Bergevin was following different criteria in his evaluation of both players, said the source, who also suggested Pfeffer’s vehemence on the matter might have ultimately cost him the job (he was told on Wednesday that his contract won’t be renewed). The Canadiens would not comment on why they aren’t renewing his contract, but they did say that they are looking into other analytics solutions.
According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, the team isn’t going to give up on their analytics department. They’re looking to hire Pfeffer’s replacement.
Montreal Canadiens senior management reached out to clarify they are very committed to analytics. They will be bolstering their department
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 14, 2016
Habs are in the process of determining who they'll bolster analytics department with.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 14, 2016
This bit of news definitely doesn’t help repair the damage done to the organization’s image this off-season.
In a recent article published by The Hockey News, the Canadiens ranked 29th among the 30 NHL teams when it comes to their fan base’s confidence in their management group. Only the Vancouver Canucks were lower on the list.
Related:
--Subban: ‘This is a business--we can’t forget that’