Renaud Lavoie: Have been hearing that the Montreal Canadiens won’t be protecting defenseman Shea Weber for the expansion draft.
After getting some more medical evaluations done, he could be out all of next season and possibly longer.
Pierre LeBrun: There is concerns with knee, ankle and thumb issues for Weber. He may not play next season. The Canadiens haven’t made a final decision about protecting him though it seems unlikely that they will.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Canadiens defensemen Shea Weber has a history of being able to play through some bad injuries. His pain tolerance is high.
Multiple sources are saying that the NHL, NHLPA and the Canadiens are looking into his medical situation and what it means for his future.
He has a left foot/ankle issue that could threaten his career. Back in 2018, he had surgery on his tendon in that area. There has always been a concern that it could become too much.
Weber was playing through a thumb injury that is also believed to be pretty significant.
If he were to retire the Nashville Predators would have a cap recapture penalty of $4.9 million through 2025-26.
With his medical history, he could be LTIR’d and the league is looking into it.
Weber has five years left on his deal at a $7,857,143 salary cap hit.
Shea Weber, whose career is threatened by lingering injuries, still has the best shot among defencemen in the NHL even if the rest of his game is only solid. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/yi6RwkmMmT
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 15, 2021
