Did The Rangers Almost Trade For Shea Weber Two Years Ago?
According to a report, they might have.
Elliotte Friedman did a piece today highlighting the risks Montreal is talking by low-balling RFA P.K. Subban as the two sides waltz towards arbitration. Why do you care about this? Well, check out this little piece of information from Friedman in the story (emphasis mine):
But it definitely changed the dynamic. On July 1, 2012, upon becoming a restricted free agent for the final time, Weber and his agents did something unique, embarking on a top-secret tour to visit Detroit, the New York Rangers, Philadelphia, San Jose and Vancouver in search of an offer sheet. He got it in Philadelphia, a massive deal that rocked the hockey world. (There's a belief the Flyers did it because they were worried the Rangers were going to get him in a trade, but God only knows.)
It's the dog days of summer, so it's fun to look at some of these interesting nuggets while news is slow. But holy crap, that's a hell of a nugget. For what it's worth, Friedman is one of the most respected journalists in the business, so I trust this report; but how did Weber's secret visit not leak to the public? How did no one hear about Glen Sather potentially putting a massive offer out there? How did it get to the point where the Flyers broke one of the league's biggest unwritten rules because they thought the Rangers were close?
How nice would Weber be in Rangers blue? It's nothing but a dream now, but wow, this would have been something, no?
