Shea Weber is not going to play for the Montreal Canadiens next season, and the defenseman’s NHL profession can be over.
Canadiens frequent manager Marc Bergevin acknowledged Weber goes through diverse injuries but did not showcase what they are.
“I was as soon as amazed how he performed,” Bergevin acknowledged Thursday. “He was as soon as one of our high-minute defensemen all the way through your complete playoffs all of the model to the Stanley Cup Closing. I in my conception wasn’t mindful [of the severity of his injuries], and from what I’ve gathered from the details, I accumulate not deem someone was as soon as in actuality attentive to it. I deem we’re all attentive to their anguish and what he was as soon as going through day-after-day, but to that stage, we didn’t know. Shea, as you all know, is a person of few words, and sharing or complaining about his body is not one part that he does, so I was as soon as very taken aback.
“He would possibly perhaps perchance simply not be attend next season, and perchance would possibly perhaps perchance simply not be attend for his profession.”
Weber scored six parts (one goal, 5 assists) and averaged 25: 13 of ice time playing all 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games this postseason, when the Canadiens evolved to the Cup Closing for the first time since 1993. Montreal lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 5 games.
“This would perhaps be very not liable to alter Shea Weber, what he brings to our team on and off the ice,” Bergevin acknowledged. “We’ll try our most effective, but I do know deep down that it’s most likely you’ll perhaps never replace Shea Weber.
“Obviously, we want to in a technique replace his minutes, defensemen that will accumulate extra accountability as we transfer forward. We’ll watch carefully to the market, both through alternate or free company to try to at the very least, to a stage, replace Shea, if we are able to.”
The Montreal captain has 5 seasons closing on a 14-year contract he signed with the Nashville Predators, who matched an offer sheet he was as soon as given by the Philadelphia Flyers before the 2012-13 season. It has an annual NHL salary cap price of $7.85 million.
If Weber were to retire sooner than the discontinue of the contract, the Canadiens and Predators would face salary cap recapture charges.
Weber performed his first 11 NHL seasons for Nashville sooner than he was as soon as traded to Montreal for defenseman P.K. Subban on June 29, 2016.
“I have been in actuality taking half in my time right here,” Weber acknowledged closing month before playing within the Stanley Cup Closing. “Been lucky to be traded to a substantial city and organization. And yeah, there’s been some laborious cases, there’s been some genuine cases, but it be a segment of the toddle and a segment of the memoir. … It be been a genuine creep thus far and hope to mutter it going right here.”
Weber missed 94 games the past four seasons with Montreal, alongside with 56 in 2017-18 thanks to a tendon tear in his left foot, the first 24 of the next season recovering from knee surgical operation, six games with an ankle ruin in February 2020, and the closing eight this season with a thumb ruin. He turns 36 on Aug. 14.
“I deem the part with ‘Webby’ is as soon as we hit the ice it be all alternate,” Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot acknowledged. “There would possibly perhaps be no messing around. He desires all the pieces done precisely the model the coaches acknowledged it be done. And I deem that is a gigantic cause why he’s been so a hit as a participant, his attention to diminutive print, his seriousness as soon as we hit the ice.
“And off the ice, he’s purchased a relationship with each person within the room. The young guys, he’s dad to the young guys, and he’s associates with all of the older guys. He connects with each person. And I deem that is why he’s believed about seemingly the most crucial effective captains within the League.”
Selected by Nashville within the second spherical (No. 49) of the 2003 NHL Draft, Weber has scored 589 parts (224 desires, 365 assists) in 1,038 games and 42 parts (18 desires, 24 assists) in 97 postseason games.
He was as soon as voted runner-up for the Norris Trophy because among the finest defenseman within the NHL and was as soon as named an NHL First Team All-Valuable person in 2010-11 and 2011-12, and won the Impress Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2015-16.
“As a child, you dream of playing within the NHL. … You deem that it be going to map attend correct and you keep in mind it,” Weber acknowledged sooner than playing his 1,000th NHL sport Feb. 2. “Realistically, it be plenty more challenging than of us heed and it be tricky to attain, so genuine making it right here is in actuality particular. Operate it this long and having a profession this many games is one thing that I never in actuality imagined … it be fairly surreal.
“I’m able to’t mumble thanks ample to coaches, household, pals. There would possibly perhaps be so many of us on the model, it be with out a doubt not genuine a non-public part. There are strength coaches, therapists, hockey coaches, relatives. Obviously, my mom and pop were my biggest influences growing up. It be genuine a team effort for definite.”
NHL.com columnist Dave Stubbs and LNH.com editorial director Sebastien Deschambault contributed to this file
