Subban: New Kid On the Block?

After the Montreal Canadiens lost 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, Habs coach Michel Therrien said “An individual play cost us the game tonight.” He was, of course, talking about PK Subban blowing a tire and falling, making the Avs rush a 3-on-3, instead of a 3-on-4. For the record, Subban claims he fell and it’s pretty clear that there was a defensive lapse once the puck got into the Montreal zone, despite each of the Habs mostly covering someone. Max Pacioretty is probably more to blame than anyone for that goal happening – he was standing around like Justin Schultz on a 2-on-1.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4padXNNXck]

 

This morning, Louis Jean (from TVA) tweeted this:

Did the rounds to find out if Subban is on the market. One team executive said “his name has come up”. @TVASports

— Louis Jean (@LouisJean_TVA) February 19, 2016

And this:

Not suggesting #Canadiens will trade Subban. Just saying one team confirmed #Habs are “gauging the market”.

— Louis Jean (@LouisJean_TVA) February 19, 2016

With those two tweets, hockey Twitter has lost its collective mind.

Is Subban ACTUALLY on the trading block?

…….Maybe?

Bob McKenzie doesn’t believe that the Habs will trade PK before the deadline, and if they did it would have to be for something that makes a lot of sense for the Habs in return. His cap hit ($9m/year until 2022) is a big detractor, and not many teams could afford to take that on mid-season. He also has a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1, meaning that a team would be saddled with him for 6 years and $54 million.

So far, armchair Oiler GMs have been offering things like “Nuge, Nurse and the 2016 first round pick”, or “Eberle, Nurse and Schultz”. The best, though, is “Hall, Nuge, Nurse and the first round pick in 2016”. Uh…..what? That would be an overpay if there ever was one.

Subban is young (only 26), and is under contract for another six years (until 2022), is a right shot D, and a legitimate top pair player. His cap hit is big, but if a team like the Oilers traded away some of its assets (including one of RNH, Eberle and Hall – all of whom have a cap hit of $6 million a year), plus a defenseman (and maybe a prospect, depending on which D-man is included), it’s not entirely implausible to think that a trade like this could happen.

The Habs have been looking for a top-line centreman for some time now, so of those three big-ticket players, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins seems the most likely major piece in a deal, but one of the wingers could be packaged with, say, Leon Draisaitl and sent away as well.

Obviously, it’s all speculation at this point, and it seems unlikely that Montreal will, in fact, trade Subban at all. He and Carey Price are the cornerstones of the Canadiens franchise; if they can build a team that doesn’t collapse like a cheap tent when faced with adversity around those two, the Habs will find themselves back in the mix as a top team in the league. Instead of trading away one of the best D-men in the league (who is, admittedly, having a rough season) and someone who does actual legitimate good things in the community*, better money is on Montreal firing Michel Therrien and finding a coach who will work WITH Subban instead of throwing him under the bus.

 

 

*And if you’re still not convinced that PK Subban is a stand-up guy, watch this.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPGLy-Jv0lI]