The moment it became clear that the Montreal Canadiens were indeed rolling the dice with Alex Radulov, people wondered “How does Shea Weber feel about that?”
In case you don’t remember, Radulov’s previous NHL stint ended in an ugly way with the Nashville Predators, leaving Weber feeling “betrayed” by the Russian winger’s curfew-breaking antics.
Sure, Weber said that Radulov probably “felt bad” about the mistake, which inspired then-Predators head coach Barry Trotz to bench him for two 2012 postseason games ... but he also noted that “those are things you can’t take back.”
So, uh, what about that?
Radulov is saying all the right things about learning from his past errors, for what it’s worth:
Alexander Radulov on the curfew incident and time passing. pic.twitter.com/NZtrs7rCIT
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) July 1, 2016
Still, there’s the question of how Weber really feels. That incident was the hockey equivalent to vouching for a friend only to see that person burn all bridges with said employer.
How would you feel if that guy got a gig with your new company mere days after you hopped on board?
Apparently Weber either forgives Radulov or is indifferent to his presence, as he didn’t stand in Habs GM Marc Bergevin’s way on the move.
Bergevin by the way spoke with Shea Weber about his former teammate Radulov before beginning pursuit of the Russian winger
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2016
In a vacuum, signing Radulov makes a ton of sense. All of a sudden, the Habs’ top six looks awfully dangerous with a proven scorer added to the mix.
On the other hand, it’s a puzzling move from a PR standpoint, even if Weber is on board.
Trading Subban and signing Radulov is the equivalent of saying you want to cut down on carbs, then turning around and buying a bread maker.
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) July 1, 2016
Alex Radulov is a great player. Big money but one-year. Little risk. But the idea PK had issues, you trade him, and then sign this guy. Wow.
— Steve “Dangle” Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) July 1, 2016
Radulov boasts the rare scoring skills to make Montreal look very, very smart in taking this risk. He’s wise to look toward the future however much he’s actually changed.
"What happened in the past is in the past. I want to come back to play in the best league in the world." - Alex Radulov
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 1, 2016
Spoke with 3 people today who are very piped into Russian market. All say Radulov has been a completely different person over last 2 yrs.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 1, 2016
If nothing else, you can’t accuse Bergevin of being afraid to take risks. Fair or not, the media will roast him if things go poorly with Radulov.