Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Utah: Shea Weber is the only defenseman under contract to have played more than one game in the NHL

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Jun 21, 2024 12:10 PM ET

The last time Shea Weber played hockey was in the summer of 2021. The defenseman, who gave his all to try and lift the Stanley Cup with the Habs, ultimately saw his team lose in five games to the Lightning.

We suspected he was suffering… but we had no idea that these would be the last games of his career.

The only reason Weber hasn’t announced his retirement is to collect the last million dollars of his contract. He didn’t steal them, after all, and that’s his right.

But the fact remains that he’s purely “a contract” in the NHL world right now.

Right now, Weber is a member of the Utah roster, where he’ll obviously never play… but what’s problematic is that right now, Weber is the only defenseman under contract in the organization who has played more than one game in the NHL.

Patrik Koch, signed late yesterday, has just one NHL game under his belt. Maveric Lamoureux, Maksymilian Szuber and Montana Onyebuchi are also under contract, but have never played a game in the Bettman circuit.

The only defenseman signed in Utah right now is Shea Weber.

– Travis Yost (@travisyost) June 20, 2024

Bill Armstrong will have to work hard to get along with defensemen this summer. Obviously, he won’t have too much trouble getting along with Sean Durzi, JJ Moser and Juuso Välimäki, who are restricted free agents. The same goes for Michael Kesselring, Vladislav Kolyachonok and Victor Söderström, who also have some NHL experience.

That said, Josh Brown and Travis Dermott, who each played some 50 games for the Coyotes last year, are free as a bird.

They could return, but that’s far less certain.

We’ll see how Armstrong manages his defensive brigade for next year, but what’s clear is that the team’s six regular defensemen in 2024-25 probably don’t yet have contracts with the organization.

Unless one of the youngsters forces the team’s hand, Koch surprise or Weber miraculously regains his health, which won’t happen.

In Overtime

– Cayden Lindstrom isn’t afraid of the Montreal pressure.

“It’s a good franchise, good hockey market. Their fans are crazy obviously. It would be a really fun place to play…I can handle [the spotlight]. I really like the bright lights, I like the loud crowds. I think it motivates me more than anything.”

– Cayden Lindstrom on the Habs pic.twitter.com/j6UaiQD1uW

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 20, 2024

– Great read.

Updated with an amazing comment from Jonathan Toews.
Really enjoyed working on this piece with@reporterchris

Connor McDavid’s Stanley Cup surge blowing away fellow NHL stars: ‘Somehow, he’s found another level ‘ https://t.co/kfQakSnU2Z

– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 21, 2024

– Remember that he would be one of the four options considered by the Habs for the fifth spot.

Can Zeev Buium be the best defenseman in this draft class?@CraigJButton joins @TonyMarinaro to discuss why he thinks that’s the case

Full pod
Watch: https://t.co/i2jVC1HORA
Listen: https://t.co/mLXZkRWL20#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/woK3Uvw3A3

– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) June 20, 2024

– Pardon?

Career playoff points:

58 – Evan Bouchard
57 – Drew Doughty

Doughty’s a decade older with two Stanley Cups. pic.twitter.com/eNO2uFUFhT

– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) June 21, 2024

– A name to watch.