Shea Weber’s long-term injury is a massive blow to the already thin Canadiens defensive unit, but as bad as the situation is, there’s a ready-made solution already available. That solution comes in the form of Jeff Petry, who will almost assuredly take over the reins from Weber as the Canadiens top defencemen this season while the latter recovers from knee surgery.
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Petry, who played in all 82 games last year with the majority of them as the leader in ice time after Weber was sidelined with his foot injury.