Subban extremely disappointing throughout the tournament. Nice goal but otherwise mostly brutal in today's game. Made sloppy passes that put others in trouble and got chasing around his zone and drawn out of position. Looked very small and mostly inadequate.
Has no chance of making the team playing like this and would be of little help to Utica as well.
Still this is the way Subban started in Utica last year and he did improve immensely as the season progressed so that can be hoped for. If not, then the team might want to see if they can get something out of Nashville for him (so he can join his brother) before he loses any perceived value.
I don't think we're at all at the point of having to start with that conversation on Subban. But if he doesn't make real strides with his defensive play this year...major strides that stick, it may be the case that he's a guy who ends up shuffled out eventually, or thrown in to a deal somewhere.
That said, i don't really see how you're going to get any perceived value for him at this point. He has some value to the Canucks system in that we've already sunk in the pick to select him and he's shown
something - much better than most of our mid-round picks anyway. But for other teams, they're going to see exactly the same thing...a tiny offensive defenceman who posted some pretty decent AHL points for a rookie, but with pretty serious defensive shortcomings. What is anyone going to trade for that?
The whole Subban bloodlines thing is a double-edged sword there as well. On the one hand, it gets him recognition that a player of his ilk would otherwise likely not garner. On the other hand, it makes him a potential headache for management-fan relations if he continues to be unready for the NHL...but you're bound to end up with fans wanting him in the NHL anyway. That can be a minor headache that other teams would probably just as much prefer to avoid. Even the Predators, what purpose would they have for Jordan Subban, when they already have the genuine article PK Subban? And a vastly superior version of that Jordan Subban type player in Ellis as well? Plus a smattering of much better defence prospects like Fabbro, Carrier, Murphy, and now Girard and Allard added as well?
I mean, don't get me wrong...i love me some of the Preds prospects. Plenty i'd like to acquire. But it doesn't really make any sense.
Jordan Subban has no real "value" to anyone else at this point. It'd just be a swap of longshots or a throw-in sweetner to a bigger deal or something.