If there was any doubt that the P.K. Subban-for-Shea Weber trade was strongly influenced by Montreal head coach Michel Therrien, there isn’t anymore, thanks to Canadiens goalie Carey Price.
Price was quoted by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman about the big trade on June 29, and what he said confirmed what most had already suspected.
“P.K. is an offensive defenseman and a risk-taker. That’s made him successful, that’s the way he plays the game. He doesn’t want to change that and I respect that. I respect the way that he plays the game…his type of enthusiasm and his ability to raise fans out of their seats,” said Price. “That’s a special gift and something that not very many players are able to do. But the way we’re coached on our team, the way our team is structured, that’s not what were looking for. We’re looking for a steady type of defenseman that makes quick plays and is able to move the puck right away. Shea fits that bill perfectly.”
That quote will probably remind you of the time in February when Therrien blamed a Subban turnover for a Canadiens loss in Colorado.
“PK did not play the odds on that play at the end,” said Therrien.
But Subban didn’t see things the same way.
“In that particular situation I didn’t see it as a high-risk play because I had full possession of the puck,” he rebutted. “I was in a strong position, I wasn’t in a weak position. If I don’t lose my edge there, I probably bump the guy and put it down the wall. But I lost my edge.”
And now Subban is a Predator.