The Montreal Canadiens have acquired veteran defenseman Mike Weaver from Florida, according to multiple reports.
In exchange, Florida received a fifth round pick at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Weaver, 35, has spent the last four years in Florida, serving in a stay-at-home defensive role while averaging close to 20 minutes per night. He leads the team in blocked shots (94) this season and been reasonably durable, appearing in all 82 games during the 2010-11 and ’11-12 campaigns.
Weaver’s also relatively affordable, currently in the last of a two-year deal with a $1.1 million cap hit.
The interesting angle, though, is that Montreal added a defenseman. The Habs currently have seven on NHL contracts -- Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges, P.K. Subban, Alexei Emelin, Francis Bouillon, Douglas Murray and Jarred Tinordi -- with prospect Nathan Beaulieu having been shuttled up and down between Montreal and AHL Hamilton throughout the year.
What’s more, Davis Drewiske is back in the mix (recently waived so he could go to Hamilton and rehab his shoulder) and the club recently flipped Swiss blueliner Raphael Diaz to Vancouver in exchange for fourth-line forward Dale Weise.
As such, the Weaver addition could be a precursor to another move... or, perhaps GM Marc Bergevin just wanted to ensure his club had blueline depth heading into the postseason.
