Canadiens excited to play with Weber instead of against him

Shea Weber has some big shoes - or skates, rather - to fill in the eyes of many Montreal Canadiens fans as he replaces P.K. Subban on the blue line.

Weber is a seasoned veteran, amassing 11 seasons in the NHL with three Norris Trophy nominations and two Olympic gold medals to his name. While the wound of Subban's trade to Nashville may be fresh for fans, Weber's new teammates are happy to have joined forces.

Goaltender Carey Price, a fellow British Columbia native and Sochi teammate to Weber, is no exception.

"I've known him for a few years now, and he's a very strong character guy. He's going to bring a lot to our hockey team," Price told TSN, according to NHL.com. "I'm definitely happy to have a guy like that in front of me. Like I said, he's a big presence on the ice and off the ice. He makes it difficult to play against every night, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in front of me, that's for sure."

While Montreal is more of a hockey hotbed than the Music City, Brendan Gallagher doesn't see Weber having trouble adjusting to the pressure of playing in La Belle Province.

"I don't think Shea Weber will have any problems adjusting (to Montreal)," Gallagher told Steve Ewen of The Province. "He's experienced enough. He's been in the league for a long enough time. He's played in big playoff games. He's played in gold-medal finals. I don't think there's any more pressure than putting on the Team Canada jersey for an Olympic gold-medal game. He understands how to deal with that. I think he'll be just fine."

Another big offseason acquisition, forward Andrew Shaw, is well acquainted with Weber after years playing in the same division while Shaw was with the Chicago Blackhawks. He thinks Weber will quickly win fans over.

"They're going to love him," Shaw told media Tuesday.

After all, Shaw would know it's better to play with him than against him.