Last Thursday’s announcement that Shea Weber underwent arthroscopic knee surgery came as a shock to everyone trying to put last season behind them, and look forward to next season with optimism. Sure Weber was recovering from foot surgery, but he was going to be back in time for the start of the season. This latest news potentially crushes that optimistic bubble, with people bracing for another challenging season without the Canadiens top defenseman. We saw a team without Shea Weber last season, and results were not encouraging.
Real talk: nobody will replace Weber, but Jeff Petry will be tasked with playing those top pairing minutes again, and hopefully he will continue to perform well.