No one doubts Shea’s power, his howitzer of a shot (routinely hitting over 100 mph), his presence on and off the ice, and his unmatched leadership abilities. He has captained the Nashville Predators, Team Canada on several international stages, and now leads the Montreal Canadiens. However, no player in the NHL can rest on past laurels, and Weber is no exception.
So far this season, his defensive play has been simply not up to par. He has been on the ice for numerous goals against the Montreal Canadiens. Certainly, some of them are due to his continual presence on the currently abysmal Montreal penalty kill, wherein everyone seems to be missing key assignments, forwards and defencemen alike. However, as the number one defenceman, Weber plays huge minutes against the other team’s best forwards and needs to show more of his infamous shutdown ability.
Opposing forwards seem to be beating him to the outside when gaining the defensive zone, then swooping in to the net for scoring chances. He has also been getting beaten to loose pucks in the crease while searching for the puck. Finally, he—and most of the P.K. unit—are getting destroyed by the cross-ice pass on the penalty kill: they over commit to the shot, freeing up passing lanes for opposition’s one-timers.
As much as Weber has struggled defensively, he has had just as much difficulty offensively, especially in goal scoring, as evidenced by his measly one goal in the first nine Habs games. The lone goal he has mustered was also an empty net one. He does have five assists, for a total of six points, but his ability to put the puck in the net has been diminished thus far.