NHL teams upended by blockbuster offseason moves

The professional hockey landscape was altered in just a few minutes Wednesday, as three blockbuster moves rocked the NHL. The Edmonton Oilers traded former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Adam Larsson in a move intended to shore up their right-shot defense, as the Oilers had only one right-shot defender under contract next year. Meanwhile, the Devils will acquire an elite offensive player in Hall, who tallied 65 points, including 26 goals, in 82 games this past season.

Not to be outdone, the Montreal Canadiens traded star P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Preds' captain Shea Weber in a swap of top-tier defensemen. Subban, who is four years younger than Weber, won the Norris Trophy — awarded to the league's top defenseman — back in 2013 and was described by Predator general manager David Poile as an "an elite offensive defenseman." Weber has finished in the top four in voting for the Norris Trophy five times in his career and looks to add veteran leadership to the Canadiens.

Presented with such major moves within a span of about half an hour, the hockey world reacted as calmly as one would expect:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

To top things off, down in Florida, coveted free agent Steven Stamkos — widely considered the prize of the 2016 offseason — re-signed with his current team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

See, guys? Sometimes things happen in hockey.