Canadiens trade Weber to Golden Knights for Dadonov
The Montreal Canadiens traded captain Shea Weber to the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Evgenii Dadonov, the team announced Thursday.
Weber missed the entire 2021-22 campaign due to ankle, foot, knee, and thumb injuries. His playing career is widely considered to be over, but he's under contract until 2026 at a cap hit of $7.857 million. The Golden Knights will stash Weber on long-term injured reserve to increase salary cap flexibility.
"First of all, I would like to thank Shea for all that he has done for and represented to the Montreal Canadiens," general manager Kent Hughes said.
"Not only was Shea an exceptional hockey player who played through significant injuries in an attempt to bring the Stanley Cup back to Montreal, he was also a great leader whose leadership will have a positive impact on our team well beyond his time with us."
The Nashville Predators sent Weber to Montreal before the 2016-17 season in a blockbuster trade for P.K. Subban. He racked up 146 points in 275 games for the Habs while averaging over 24 minutes per night.
"Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined playing for, let alone being named captain of, the Montreal Canadiens," Weber wrote in a statement released Friday. "Pulling on that legendary jersey every night was one of the greatest honors of my career, and it's something I appreciated every chance I got."
The hard-nosed blue-liner was one of the top defenders of his generation at his peak. Weber was a three-time Norris Trophy finalist and won two Olympic gold medals for Team Canada.
Dadonov is under contract for the upcoming season at a $5 million cap hit. The Golden Knights tried to deal him to the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline, but the NHL voided to trade due to complications with the player's no-trade clause.
The Canadiens are Dadonov's fourth team since returning to the NHL in 2017-18. The 33-year-old put up 43 points in 78 games for Vegas this season.