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With the impending return of "Dad", I wanted to discuss how important he is to this team as a franchise defenseman. I don't think it gets talked about enough how losing a clear cut #1 dman for a full calendar year would impact ANY team in the league, and the flack this team has received in the last year should take this into consideration. It's been so long that it is easy to forget that our Habs actually WON their division with a healthy Weber in 16-17, and didn't appear to be near the train wreck of a team that they were after his injury last December. So I decided to look into the team record with and without the services of the newly appointed Captain since he was acquired: 55-37-12 Montreal with Shea Weber in the lineup 30-35-13 Montreal without Shea Weber in the lineup Quite a set of contrasting numbers there. Yes there were other factors into play, but that is a decent sample size of which to hypothesize from. I think that his reinsertion into the lineup helps so many problems that this team is currently facing and has faced in the past. Want to improve your powerplay? How about adding the hardest clapper in the league from the point? There isn't anyone on the team right now that the opposition fears when shorthanded. The zone entry has been good, the movement has been good, but it is missing a bomb shot. Defensive zone coverage has been garbage so far, enter Shea "I invented defensive zone coverage" Weber. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration but he will certainly help stabilize whatever it is our current dmen are doing out there. When he slots into the lineup it will have a ripple effect and Petry suddenly is playing on the second pair, where he and the team will excel. Having a guy like Weber step in and play almost half the game at an elite level can only be described as a positive. I won't get into the leadership aspect of it all, as some people don't believe in that. But on such a young team and based on quotes I've read from them, they certainly look up to Weber. I do think he will help with the already strong locker room and act like sort of a liaison between players and management. I just miss watching the damn guy play for us and can't wait for his return.

He doesn't need to be top 3 in the league. Just a bonafide #1.

The only question i have is how long it will take him to be Shea Weber after a year off. I dont think we should expect him to be 100% right away.

Yes agree, he still has no 1st pairing partner yet like a Josi, so he cant be expected to do all the heavy lifting by himself.

Welcome back. We used to have a multimedia thread ages ago but it was used so sporadically that it was basically left for dead.

Doubt 'everyone' expects the same, some seem to see alot as 1/2 empty; but, many others see as 100% positive and will be very pleased that #6 will be back on the ice.

1) He doesn't play head to head with Lundqvist. The goalie isn't taking shots on the other goalie. If Lundqvist plays great in the other end, (and no doubt he did), that isn't Price's fault. That is the shooters on the Habs not being good enough. I can't blame a goalie with a .933 save percentage in a series for losing. He gave his team every opportunity to win the series. That they didn't is not the goalies fault, its the players in front of him. 2) The downward trajectory did not start before the 2017 playoffs. That is again revisionist history. Did he play shitty last season? sure. Has he been shit this year? Yes. His last 4 starts in particular have been a disaster (he had a .922 save percentage after the Boston game). But that doesn't mean we need to say 2016-17 was a bad season... it clearly wasn't.

I've always laughed at career stats against X team. As if today's performance have anything to do with how you played against X team 9 years ago.

Hell not be the same. Maybe never. Father Time is not nice to mid thirties who lose a year. He’ll be good of course. But a top 3 league defense man? Nah! Not again. And just how long is left in this forever waiting game?