P.K. Subban trade is a knife to the heart of Habs fans

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin had us all convinced last Thursday that P.K Subban wasn't going anywhere.

After a day of wild rumours, Bergevin told reporters that trading the award-winning defencemanwasn't realistic.

Was it impossible? No. But he left the door open a crack when he said, "You never say never, but if somebody offered me half of their team,you've got to make it work, but it's not my intention."

Now, less than a week later, Subban is gone, traded to the Nashville Predators. But not for half the team, rather,for one player another defenceman,Shea Weber.

More than just a hockey player

The overwhelming reaction from Habs fansis they feel duped and betrayed.

This is more than a fair way to feel because for many Canadiens fans,Subbanis so much more thanjust a hockey player. The 2013 Norris Trophy winner isa presence that transcendsthe game.

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He'sa player fans feelconnected to because in an era when most pro-athletes sound scripted and rehearsed, Subban breaksthe mould.

He is outgoing, engaging, entertaining anda generous philanthropist, with both his money and time.

He is also a darn good hockey player.

Subban is everything a fan could want, andthe reason many new Habs fans started watching the team.

In the end, however,management didn't see the valuein all of that.

Bergevin sold the trade as a hockey decision pure and simple, sendingamessage to fans that this wasn't personal, butjust business.

This may be true inBergevin's eyes, but hockey fans don't see watching the Habs as business. They see it as entertainment,and this move just made the teama whole lot less entertaining.

This isn't Patrick Roy all over again

This is a tough pill for fans to swallow, but Habs fans have seen worse.

In 1995, Patrick Roy was traded to ColoradoAvalanche for Jocelyn Thibault and not much more than a bag of pucks.

In 2009, Scott Gomez came to Montreal from the New York Rangers in a deal thatsent Ryan McDonaghto New York.

Weber is a better deal than both of those by a long shot, at least in the short term.

He is a legitimate star who comes to Montreal with Olympic gold medals around his neck,and a slap shot that once ripped a hole in the net.

But it's still not a good deal for Montreal.

Weber will be31yearsold this August, and carries with him a contract thatwill keep him on the Habs' books for the next 10 years.

Subban is four years younger than Weber,and statistically they produce close to the same numbers offensively.

The positive for Weber is that he makes fewer turnovers than Subban and scores alot more on the power play, an area where Montreal has struggled mightily in recent years.

In the short term, Weber will be excellent for Montreal, but a few years down the road,when his skill inevitably starts to diminish, Subban should still be clicking along in the prime of his career.

• Get to know Shea Weber

Weber is a stud of a player, but so is Subban, and that makes ithard to sell this move as a significant upgrade.

Add in what Subban meant toHabs fans off the ice and it's no wonder that to them, the tradefeels like a knifeto the heart.