Following a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay Tuesday night, it was evident Montreal captain Shea Weber didn't have a great night. Weber finished the night at a minus-2 and had just one shot on goal while logging under 20 minutes of ice time. The 34-year-old blueliner is counted on to be the team's best player, outside of Carey Price. But in six games so far this season, Weber has no goals and two assists, while looking a tad slower than he has in previous seasons.
Whenever the Habs lose, there are criticisms and comments from all around the hockey world. Some of those, this time, came from former Montreal captain and head coach Guy Carbonneau while appearing on the French language show "L'Antichambre" on RDS. But Carbonneau's criticisms seemed to be aimed at Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin rather than Weber. Carbonneau refuted claims that Weber is starting to slow down, while stating Weber needs help and it's going to have to come externally. Carbonneau said he didn't want to take anything away from Victor Mete, who has been Weber's main defensive partner since last season, but adds he's absolutely not the right candidate to be sharing top pair minutes with the veteran. In short, Carbonneau is stating that Bergevin should have found Weber help a while ago, rather than relying on him to carry the load himself the majority of the time.
While Weber has had an excellent career that is far from over yet, it's difficult to disagree with Carbonneau's assessment. In Nashville, Weber played with defensive partners like Kimmo Timonen , Ryan Suter or Roman Josi, something he's never had since being traded to Montreal in 2016. While Weber seems to have lots left in the tank, he definitely has fewer years left to play than he's already put in. If Montreal wants to get the best out of him before it's too late, Carbonneau's suggestion of a trade for a top defensive partner for Weber may be just what the doctor ordered.
