Marc Bergevin insists he isn't initiating the P.K. Subban trade talk.
"I have never shopped P.K. Subban, but I can't prevent teams from calling," the Montreal Canadiens general manager told reporters in French on Thursday, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.
The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers have both reportedly inquired about Subban's availability.
"I never shopped Subban," Bergevin reiterated, according to Metro Montreal's Marc Dumont. "Are they creating rumors? Of course. But I don't pay attention to it."
The superstar defenseman is under contract until 2022, but his no-movement clause goes into effect July 1.
"He's an All-Star defenceman," Bergevin said Thursday. "He's a good player. If I was with another team, I'd probably be calling about him, too."
The GM said conversations are typically "pretty short" when teams call to ask about Subban, and that he listens but isn't shopping the 2013 Norris Trophy winner.
Despite his insistence, Bergevin didn't outright dismiss the possibility of trading Subban.
This could have been a perfect opportunity for Bergevin to just put an end to the Subban speculation. He didn't. That's something.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 23, 2016
On Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading," TSN's Bob McKenzie reported that the Canadiens are "open to the notion" of dealing Subban if they get the right deal but said the right deal is going to be difficult to put together.
Pierre LeBrun reported in the same segment that the Canadiens have shown interest in drafting Pierre-Luc Dubois and that a potential deal with the Canucks - who hold the fifth overall selection - might enable that.
