Montreal Canadiens Trade Speculation: Pros and Cons of Trading P.K. Subban

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The Montreal Canadiens' P.K. Subban is pretty much a household name in the NHL.

No, Subban isn't an elite top-scoring defenseman, nor is he a Stanley Cup champion, but he's flashy and he he has swagger.

And the Montreal Canadiens considered trading him?

Rumors floating around on NHL draft day pegged Subban as trade bait for Hab's general manager Marc Bergevin by Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette ,but in reality, pretty much everyone was available for the right price.

Bergevin ultimately didn't trade Subban, and for good reason—he is a main component of the Habs and will be for the next number of years.

But it is tempting to trade Subban; however, how could it not be with a guy like this?

Let's look at some pros and cons if the Montreal Canadiens were to trade P.K. Subban.

Con: Losing a Star

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Subban is arguably one of the most talented up-and-coming Habs defenseman. If they were to trade him, they would lose a guy who could become a very great defenseman in this league.

Subban is a top defenseman in Montreal along with Josh Gorges and Andrei Markov. Although, with Gorges being mostly a defensive defenseman, and Markov battling injury troubles, it could be said that Subban is the Habs' top offensive defenseman. He can play that role—he has all the tools.

If the Habs were to trade him years before he hit his prime, they would risk losing a defenseman that is likely to become even more of a star in the NHL in just a few years.

Pro: Valuable Assets

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If Subban were to be traded, Montreal would get some solid players in return.

How about Subban for Edmonton Oilers' first overall pick, Nail Yakupov. Is Subban equivalent to Yakupov?

That's intriguing to say the least.

If the Habs would have shopped Subban around a little more, they could have got a top line goal-scoring forward and a solid prospect in return. But is that enough?

For Bergevin, it wasn't. The thought that Subban is only going to improve from here was reason to keep him around.

Con: No More Swagger

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The Canadiens have more swagger with Subban in the lineup.

He instills confidence in the team and plays the game his way. He is flashy and can skate end to end and then get right in the ensuing scrum.

He can score goals and has a great shot from the point. And he chirps.

He has added character into the Habs lineup and if they were to trade him, they would lose that and go back to being a "plain" team.

Does Bergevin want that? Unlikely.

Does owner Geoff Molson want that? No, Subban brings fans to their feet and ultimately, that's what it's all about.

Pro: No More Poking the Bear

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Subban has been known to get under the skin of other players.

With his chirping, he gets under the skin of some of the other teams' toughest players. These players then become mad and sometimes it works against the Habs. Other times, Subban distracts these guys from actually playing hockey, so it does have a plus side.

If he were to be traded, would somebody else have to step up in that role of agitating? Possibly, but Subban agitates in a way where he can still remain a key part of any game.

Poking the bear has its pluses. It also has its cons, but when a poker of the bear can play at an elite level, it is a great thing to have on your team...most nights.

Consensus

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Trading P.K. Subban would be sheer madness.

He is part of the Habs future. It would be quite similar to the Patrick Roy trade of the 1990s. Look how that turned out for Montreal.

If the Habs got rid of Subban now, they would be regretting it tomorrow and they would be regretting it even more down the line when Subban becomes an All-Star and one of the NHL's top defenseman.

Good on Bergevin for not getting rid of one of Montreal's most valuable assets. It was tempting, I'm sure, since with a player like him, you never know what you're getting.

It could turn out Subban is just going to be an average NHL defenseman.

But if you really look at him, I don't think Subban and average should even be in the same sentence.