Report: One team told ‘flat-out’ that P.K. Subban won’t be traded

P.K. Subban has a no-movement clause kicking in on July 1, but don’t expect the Canadiens defenseman to be moved. Despite rumors Montreal would consider trading the blueliner, one GM was reportedly told Subban is absolutely not available.

You may have heard by now the P.K. Subban, the star Montreal Canadiens defenseman, has a no-movement clause kicking in July 1. That clause will prevent Subban from being dealt to any team he doesn’t choose to be traded to, which means if the Montreal Canadiens want to move the 27-year-old defenseman, he’ll hold some of the power.

Because of the clause, some have speculated that Subban could be moved out of Montreal, with his slight dip in production and offensive style of play as reasons the Canadiens might be looking into a more defensive-minded blueliner to fill Subban’s spot.

While the rumor isn’t exactly dead, per se, any chance of seeing a shocking Subban trade this summer seems incredibly slim. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, speaking to TSN 690 in Montreal, there has been a Western Conference GM that kicked the tires on Subban in the past two three weeks, asking what it would take to land the blueliner. That GM was told “flat-out” by Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin that Subban would not be going anywhere.

Of course, Dreger admitted that were the right offer to come along — and it would probably have to be an unbeatable, lopsided offer that tilted heavily in Montreal’s favor — Bergevin would have to consider the possibility of trading Subban, even though he’s a fan favorite and local icon.

The Subban trade talk has come up again following comments made by Guy Lafleur, who said he and Yvan Cournoyer heard Subban “screaming and dangling” outside the dressing room. According to Lafleur, via the Montreal Gazette, Cournoyer commented that Subban’s actions wouldn’t have flown in their day, to which Lafleur laughed and said he was sure new assistant coach Kirk Muller would help Subban out a lot.

It seems out of the realm of possibility the Canadiens would actually trade Subban, though. Beyond the fact that it would take a monstrous return, Subban is already a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, two-time Norris nominee, an on- and off-ice leader for the Canadiens and one of the star defensemen in the league. Subban is the type of player who would be near impossible to replace. Dreger acknowledged as much.

“I don’t believe there’s anything (the Canadiens are) willing to consider that makes sense at this stage,” Dreger told TSN 690.