Despite the fact that Shea Weber is expected to miss the entire 2021-22 season, Marc Bergevin told media on Monday that the Montreal Canadiens will not be naming a new team captain.
Weber, 36, is dealing with ankle, foot, knee, and thumb injuries that have been lingering for quite some time. While nothing is official at this point, there have been plenty of rumors that his playing career may be over entirely. He has worn the ‘C’ in Montreal since the 2018-19 season.
Since being acquired in the shocking trade during the 2016 offseason that saw him get shipped from the Predators in exchange for P.K. Subban, Weber has been great both as a leader and in terms of play at both ends of the ice. In 275 games in Montreal, he has scored 58 goals and 146 points, all while maintaining his physical presence which makes him one of the most feared opponents in the entire league.
Though it was evident this past season that Weber had lost a step, he was still quite productive despite all the injuries he has been battling. In 48 games he was able to put up six goals and 19 points while logging 22:42 minutes of ice time per contest.
One certainly hopes this isn’t the end of a career from one of the best defencemen we have seen over the last decade, but if it is, he had a fantastic one. In 1038 games split between the Habs and Preds, he has scored 238 goals and 589 points. Unfortunately, he was never able to win a Norris Trophy though he came very close a number of times and was certainly deserving of one on numerous occasions. Hopefully, he is able to heal properly over the course of this season and come back in 2022-23, though right now the chances of that seem quite slim.
Multiple NHL Teams Without Captains
With the news that they will play the 2021-22 season without a captain, they join the Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and the Seattle Kraken as teams who do not currently have anybody wearing the ‘C’. Given how recent the realization was that Weber would miss the entire upcoming season, along with the impact he has had on the Habs dressing room, it is the right call to instead use four alternates this year.
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