There’s no question that teams would jump at the chance to pry defenseman Shea Weber away from the Nashville Predators -- as Philadelphia once tried to do -- but GM David Poile isn’t interested in listening to offers.
“We’re keeping him, we’re building our franchise around him,” Poile said. “I think we’ve got one of the best young defenses in the league. I think he’s got an excellent chance of winning the Norris Trophy in 11 or 12 days from now.
“Why wouldn’t we build our team around him? That’s exactly what we’re doing. We just need one or two forwards and when we get that, you’ll be saying, `Imagine that someone ever thought they would trade Shea Weber?’ No, we are not trading Shea Weber.’”
It’s worth noting that, possibly in an attempt to financially muscle the Predators out of matching their offer sheet, the Flyers made sure that Weber’s contract was severely front-loaded in a way that wouldn’t be permitted under the new CBA. Weber will earn $14 million annually through the 2015-16 campaign even though his cap hit is roughly half that. However, if the small-market Predators can endure that stretch, then his salary will begin to decline.