Will P.K. Subban Return To The Montreal Canadiens?

Can you imagine this scenario? In 2016 the city was in an uproar when the Montreal Canadiens traded P.K. Subban for Shea Weber. Now in his final year of his mammoth 8 year $72 million contract at a $9 million cap hit and recently having hit 800 NHL games, Subban will become a free agent at the end of the present season.

Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette wrote about the possibility of Subban reuniting with Montreal.

"“Anything is possible,” Subban said ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre. “This is a league of 32 teams now. That’s the thing, whether it’s Montreal, whether it’s New Jersey, whether it’s Nashville or any other team in the league, you want to play where you’re wanted. You want to play where people value you and what you bring to the table."

You can’t deny that things would come full circle in a weird way. Shea Weber is all but retired, Michel Therrien, the Habs’ coach at the time and the main reason Subban got traded in the first place, no longer holds an NHL job and Marc Bergevin, the GM who made the trade, is a consultant in Los Angeles.

There are of course several pros and cons in bringing P.K. back into the fold. For starters, he’s still ultra popular in Montreal and still has strong connections with the city, notably through various charities and his contribution to the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Despite his love for the spotlight, he would provide a lot of media relief for the younger players and wouldn’t shy away from a mentor role on the team.

That being said however, signing Subban does come with a few cons as well. To begin with, how much does he think he’s worth? The former Norris trophy winner will certainly command a salary much lower than his current $9 million but will he be realistic in his worth? Subban does have an impressive resume but he hasn’t yet won the top prize in the NHL – the Stanley Cup. Turning 33 in May, does he want to end his career on a team about to rebuild?

The other major con is his reputation as a “slew footer”. He has been called out time and time again in recent years for purposely tripping opposing players.

Subban has had a pair of good years in Nashville but never recreated the magic from his days in Montreal. Since the 2018-19 season, Subban has never scored more than 9 goals and finished with more than 30 points only once. He has considerably slowed down and his slap shot doesn’t have the same brutality as it once had.

You can’t deny having #76 back in the famed Habs sweater would be a nostalgia trip for many of us. However is he that? Just a nostalgia trip? Can he really be a key player in what will likely be a long and arduous rebuild? Or will he be taking his talents to Toronto?

Would you like to see P.K. Subban return to Montreal? Comment below!