Canadiens: Age Slowly Becoming a Factor for Captain Shea Weber

It was a hard fought, albeit tough pill to swallow for the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, in a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In spite of yet another impressive performance from veteran winger Corey Perry, netting both of Montreal goals as his role continues to increase, and another solid performance in goal from the always reliable Jake Allen, Toronto showed why their one of the NHL’s best teams, dominating the transitioning game while capitalizing on numerous odd man rushes. Zach Hyman netted a goal and an assist as he found himself back on the Leafs first line, ditto for former first overall pick Auston Matthews.

As I tuned into the game as the first period was getting underway, I caught up on what had been a quick first goal from Matthews, giving Toronto an early lead which they ultimately never lost sight of. Cutting towards the back of the net in almost Patrick Kane like fashion, Matthews was faced with a difficult task in front of him. Canadiens captain Shea Weber. Weber’s veteran presence and leadership have been key factors for the Canadiens over the past five seasons, and at 6’04 and 229 pounds, I was expecting the 35-year-old blueliner to match up to the oft-dangerous Leafs sniper.

Well, needless to say, that didn’t happen. Instead, in an attempt to cut Matthews off, Weber ultimately got burned to a crisp as the 23-year-old superstar darted around the veteran blueliner, before firing a quick wrister off the wraparound for his league-leading 28th goal. As the familiar tones of Hall and Oates hit song “You Make My Dreams Come True” played across the Air Canada Centre, a pervasive thought entered the back of my head. “That can’t be good.”

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Simply put, Weber didn’t look good Wednesday. In spite of his usual calmness on the backend, especially on the powerplay, the grizzled veteran looked out of place, out of sync, and often out of gas. The Leafs have developed a reputation as one of the fastest teams in the NHL, and in the midst of an offensive barrage and a continuing feel-good story from goaltender Jack “Soupy” Campbell, who’s 10 consecutive wins to start the season ties Habs starter Carey Price for most in NHL history, Weber got caught in the crossfire, and in the words of the legendary Jim Croce, “looked like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone.”

Following a 3-2 Wednesday night loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber’s age is slowly becoming a factor.

Weber’s tenure in Montreal has continually been met with skepticism and rumors, ever since his initial arrival in the city in June of 2016. Having just come off his third consecutive 50-point season, star defenseman P.K Subban had encapsulated fans and media alike, both on and off the ice, with his boastful, confident personality, charitable work, and exciting, end to end play, leading to a Norris trophy in the lockout shortened 2012-13 season. However, following a tumultuous 2015-16 season that saw Subban fall out of favor with certain players, the team ultimately decided to deal the former second round pick to the Nashville Predators, in exchange for Weber.

Needless to say, this was an absolute blockbuster deal for both teams, and is widely regarded as one of the more notable one-for-one trades in NHL history. At the time, many Habs fans immediately questioned the move, pointing out Weber’s advanced age compared to Subban, and lengthy 14-year contract that carried an AAV of $7.85 million up until the 2025-26 season. While Weber’s presence, coupled with a once-again healthy Price led the Canadiens back to the playoffs with a 47-26-7 record in 2016-17, Subban’s Predators put together a magical Playoff run that culminated in Nashville’s first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, ultimately losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins. While this was expected to be a sign of Nashville emerging as the winners in this trade, things didn’t exactly turn out that way. In spite of a 59-point (16 g, 43 a) 2017-18 season, a less than ideal 31 points (9 g, 22 a) in 2018-19 led to Nashville reconsidering their situation with their $9-million defenseman, eventually opting to trade him to the New Jersey Devils for little more than a few picks and AHL farmhands, in a salary dump move to land similarly struggling high-priced player Matt Duchene.

While this meant that Montreal ultimately won the day in the end, it hasn’t come without its own downsides, which were unfortunately, painfully apparent on Wednesday night. While he’s managed 14 goals or more in each of his past three full seasons, Weber’s reduced foot speed is slowly becoming an area of concern for the Canadiens, as he has simply put, struggled to keep up both off the rush and in transition. While he’s off a to a solid, if less than ideal 17 points (5 g, 12 a) over 37 games, it’s come with him being a non-factor more often than not, especially following the loss of former defensive partner Ben Chiarot to injury.

While former Stanley Cup Champion Joel Edmundson has been an absolute rock for the Canadiens on the backend, posting a league-best +30 rating, he’s similarly lacking in much of the way of foot speed, which leads to a defensive pairing that is shaky at best when confronted with slightly above average skaters. As the Canadiens look to build on their recent string of solid play and push for a playoff spot, veterans like Weber will need to pick up the slack a bit more and contribute in a more reliable fashion, whether that be in his current role, or in an admittedly less heavy one.

While Weber’s contract is suggestive of a top pairing, minute-munching defenseman, his play as of late has suggested otherwise, even in spite of some solid performances here and there. For a player with as much pride and confidence as Weber, being reduced to a lesser role is something that could prove difficult, if not impossible, but if we continue to see performances like that of Tuesday nights, it might make sense to give someone like Jeff Petry a shot in the same role. Petry’s 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) over 36 games pace is suggestive of a potential Norris Trophy nod, something which Weber has unfortunately falling out of favor with.

With the Vancouver Canucks currently dealing with the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the NHL this season, with 25 players and coaches now having tested positive, the Canadiens playoff hopes should be a lock as long as they don’t slip heavily, but with Shea Weber’s age beginning to catch up to him, some adapting is needed before things truly get back on track.