Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin had the full support of team owner Geoff Molson when it came to trading P.K. Subban for Shea Weber.
Speaking at a press conference Monday to announce the Canadiens' AHL affiliate moving to nearby Laval, Molson addressed the negative reaction from fans in the trade's aftermath, affirming Bergevin did what was in the best interest of improving the on-ice product.
Related: Bergevin not looking back after Subban-Weber trade
"I think that P.K. is a bigger-than-life person on and off the ice, and our fans love him, and still will love him, and I heard a lot of it on my Twitter account and I appreciate that," Molson said, according to Sean Farrell of NHL.com.
"But I also appreciate what I've hired Marc (Bergevin) to do, and that is to make our team better, and I'm confident he has done that."
On top of adding Weber, Bergevin also brought in forwards Andrew Shaw and Alexander Radulov, and Molson again affirmed his belief in the GM's decision to deal the fan favorite.
"For sure, P.K. is, obviously, we all know, an excellent hockey player and played an important role in the community as well," Molson said. "And at the same time, Marc Bergevin, he works to make our team better, and I think all of the work he has done this spring to improve our team has been 100 percent supported by me.
"And that's what I pay him for, is to make our team better, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the evolved team on the ice and I think our fans are going to really appreciate the improvements."
A healthy Carey Price will no doubt be the biggest boost for the Canadiens, but the jury remains out in the court of public opinion on the merits of the Subban trade, no matter what Bergevin and Molson say about it.
