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Pacioretty: Subban trade 'completely threw me off guard'

Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / Getty

Nearly a month after the trade that sent a colossal shockwave through the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens are getting used to life without P.K. Subban.

The charismatic defenseman was sent to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber, and while the dust has settled, many still have a tough time pinpointing the reasoning for the trade.

One conspiracy theory is an alleged riff between Subban and Habs' captain Max Pacioretty, but when speaking to Sportsnet's Andrew Walker, Montreal's leader only had good things to say about his friend and former teammate.

"I loved playing with P.K.," Pacioretty said. "I had a lot of really really good moments and memories with him and I will miss him, and I will keep in touch with him as well."

Still, like nearly everybody else, Pacioretty was shocked by the news.

"It completely threw me off guard," Pacioretty said. "The first thing I did, is I picked up my phone and I called P.K."

As for the new guy in town, Pacioretty is ready to get started with Weber a part of the roster.

"He's a guy that can help out our team a lot and has had a lot of success," Pacioretty said. "From an individual perspective he's obviously been a captain, and a very successful one for quite some time now. So I think on an individual level I can learn a lot from a player like that."

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