P.K. Subban may now hang his hat in Nashville, but to him, Montreal will always be "home."
The Canadiens shockingly dealt the franchise defenseman to the Predators in exchange for former Nashville captain and blue liner Shea Weber. It was a move that sent shockwaves through the league, but Subban stayed silent about it until finally opening up recently.
Though he'll no longer don the Canadiens' sweater, Subban has an unbreakable bond to Montreal and he finally broke his silence regarding the trade.
"The feeling being back in Montreal, it'll never change," Subban told Sportsnet. "It's always going to be like that for me. Montreal's going to be home because of the relationships that I've built here. I love Montreal. I've always loved the city. When it really comes down to it, I never envisioned myself playing for any other team other than the Montreal Canadiens."
Subban envisioned bringing a the Canadiens their 25th Stanley Cup, but last season ended up being his last chance. Montreal was off to a red-hot start, but following an injury to goalie Carey Price, the Canadiens went on a tremendous swoon, missing the playoffs altogether.
The Predators, meanwhile, won their first Game 7 in franchise history to knock out the Ducks in Round 1 before falling ot the eventual Western Conference champion Sharks in a series that also went the distance in the second round.
Subban, who had been the focal point of some criticism during his time with Montreal, described his relationship with the Canadiens fans as "unspeakable," but he always knew he could be on the move.
"This is a business," Subban said. "I can't forget that."
It was a questionable decision by the Canadiens as they dealt a younger Subban, 27, who had six years remaining on his contract with a $9 million annual salary in his prime, to the Predators for Weber, 30, who is under contract until he turns 40 and will only regress from here.
Subban was selected in the second round of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Canadiens and is coming off of a season where he notched six goals and a team-high 45 assists. In 434 career games for Montreal, Subban has 63 goals, 215 assists and 278 points while ranking a plus-35.
The defenseman had many ties to Montreal, which includes charity work and extends back to growing up with his father.
"I just wanted to make my dad proud," Subban said. "I knew he was a huge Habs fan."
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