Report: Shea Weber was not Montreal's first or even second choice in the Subban trade!

It turns out the blockbuster trade that shook the summer may have never happened had Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin gotten his first, or even second choice. 

According to a report from Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman when the Montreal Canadiens finally pulled the trigger on the P.K. Subban trade after a summer chalk full of rumors about that very move, it was more a result of the team feeling Weber was the best return they would get after exhausting all other options.

From Friedman's Sportsnet report:

According to one source, this was it for Montreal. The potential moves were getting less and less appealing. Subban’s roster protection would kick in July 1, and if the Canadiens did not make this deal, there was nothing else to consider. This was their final non-No Trade Clause decision on the 2013 Norris Trophy Winner.

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In all honesty Weber may not have even been the Canadiens third choice, according to Friedman there were at least three other options on the table which included deals with Colorado, Edmonton and Vancouver. Those deals were all of varying degrees when it comes to just how near they were to being a reality, but it's indicative of the fact that Montreal wanted Subban out, one way or another.

It seems that early in the summer the Canadiens focus was on acquiring a pick high enough in the draft to allow them to nab Pierre-Luc Dubois who would eventually be drafted by Columbus. It was when the Canadiens realized that Dubois would not get past Columbus that they started to look for other options.

It's crazy to think the Canadiens settled for a player like Weber, but it appears that may very well be the case.