P.K. Subban - What happened?

[kevistar]

Rumors swirled that he overplayed his hand in the 2022 offseason reportedly demanding a one way deal while teams viewed him as depth. Months passed without serious offers. A team offered him a tryout contract, he rejected , deeming it insulting, and gambled on his reputation. It backfired. No offers followed, ending his career.

I think it's more than a rumor. I can't find it, but I remember P.K. being on a podcast hosted by black people and he was saying something like this as well.

Edit: I found it, it's this video starting at around 41:48

 

[Booker T]

He became one of the most annoying talking heads on television.

I actually really enjoy PK. He brings a lot of energy to the commentary and he's obviously very knowledgeable of today's game.

 

[I am not exposed]

I actually really enjoy PK. He brings a lot of energy to the commentary and he's obviously very knowledgeable of today's game.

He's a hyperbolic idiot who goes off on tangents.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Selfishly, I enjoyed the exchange I had with Sr Edler here a few years ago on Subban: PK Subban has retired - does he make the hall of fame, and where does he rank all-time? & PK Subban has retired - does he make the hall of fame, and where does he rank all-time?

 

[I am Bettman]

Injuries took most of his speed and quickness, which was probably his prime attribute early in his career, along with his strength and slap shot.

Then, presumably in an effort to compensate for this, he put on about 10-15 lbs of muscle, which took any speed and quickness he had left. With him already being a stocky/compact guy, this was extremely detrimental to his game.

I’m not sure who convinced him (if anyone) that this was a good idea, but someone should’ve realized this and set him straight. PK is PK though; maybe they did and he just didn’t listen.

I recall hearing that he loved fitness and practically lived in the gym and was doing bodybuilding/powerlifting style workouts, which is just stupid for an NHL player and not conducive to success in hockey. Dude thought he was an NFL lineman and trained like it, pretty much.

10-15 lbs of muscle would have made him faster. He gained 10-15 pounds of fat at least.

 

[Garbageyuk]

10-15 lbs of muscle would have made him faster. He gained 10-15 pounds of fat at least.

Depends heavily on what type of training he was doing which caused the muscle growth. If it was powerlifting/bodybuilding style workouts like it was rumoured to be, no it definitely would not have made him faster. Have you ever seen power lifters or bodybuilders try to run or do anything athletic? They can be absolutely shredded and it looks like they’re running in a foot of water.

 

[Iwishihadaspacebar]

I was just listening to the Allan Walsh podcast and he mentioned PK Subban was almost traded to Tampa for Vincent Lecavalier in an episode when Fleury was almost a Leaf.

 

[Wayfarer13]

And thinks he's Don Cherry with those suits

 

[Leafs87]

He got tik

 

[FDBluth]

He's a hyperbolic idiot who goes off on tangents.

The weirdest thing is that now he's adopted some kind of strange ESPN talking head accent/persona/way of speaking that's completely different to how he was when he played or even when he first started broadcasting and it seems phony as hell. You didn't grow up in The Bronx, PK

 

[ThreeLeftSkates]

/

I recall hearing that he loved fitness and practically lived in the gym and was doing bodybuilding/powerlifting style workouts, which is just stupid for an NHL player and not conducive to success in hockey. Dude thought he was an NFL lineman and trained like it, pretty much.

The Rick DiPietro school of conditioning.

 

[JianYang]

People forget that subban suffered a really scary injury where he was stretchered off.

That was the last game he played as a Montreal Canadien as he was traded that offseason. I don't think he fully recovered from it and it limited his longevity.

Secondly, I think his game was about passion and energy. He was unable to evolve to a more efficient style which is necessary for guys to extend their careers successfully. The injury i mentioned only accelerated the quick demise.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

He could barely move his last 2 seasons.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Possibly the steepest/fastest decline I've seen in this sport

I feel like he could have gone for a couple more years as a 3rd pairing defensemen but I suppose that he didn't want to go through the grind again at a low salary after he came out of a 9M/per year type of contract

 

[Garbageyuk]

The weirdest thing is that now he's adopted some kind of strange ESPN talking head accent/persona/way of speaking that's completely different to how he was when he played or even when he first started broadcasting and it seems phony as hell. You didn't grow up in The Bronx, PK

He always talked like that in interviews to a degree, but I do think he’s hammed it up since he’s been on ESPN. It seems to be inspired by Don Cherry, imo, rather than Bronx or whatever. His cadence, intonation, and use of certain phrases is really similar to Cherry sometimes if you pay attention. It makes sense, lots of kids grew up watching Don Cherry, and Subban now has the same job pretty much. Not sure if he’s doing it on purpose or not, but yeah.

 

[Quatre Vingt Treize]

Those devastating hits took a roll on his body.

 

[user402789]

The weirdest thing is that now he's adopted some kind of strange ESPN talking head accent/persona/way of speaking that's completely different to how he was when he played or even when he first started broadcasting and it seems phony as hell. You didn't grow up in The Bronx, PK

It’s like a cross between Stephen A Smith and Wes Watson

 

[Fatass]

Got fat.

 

[Garbageyuk]

He's a hyperbolic idiot who goes off on tangents.

You just described Don Cherry to a tee, yet he was beloved for decades, especially by the same types that seem to hate Subban. People literally defended his racism/xenophobia and wanted to boycott CBC because they loved him so much. Hmm I wonder what the reason for the difference is? What has PK ever done that’s so bad? lol

 

[I am not exposed]

You just described Don Cherry to a tee, yet he was beloved for decades, especially by the same types that seem to hate Subban. People literally defended his racism/xenophobia and wanted to boycott CBC because they loved him so much. Hmm I wonder what the reason for the difference is? What has PK ever done that’s so bad? lol

I did not care for Cherry either.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Short answer: I don't know.

I suspect it was injuries - he had a bad one just before leaving Montreal. Really weird how he just fell off.

A shame because he was one of the best blueliners in the league. His trajectory was that of a sure fire HOFer who was at his best when the games mattered. As good as his regular season stats were, he was even better in the playoffs and regularly scored clutch goals. Thrived on pressure and being in the spotlight. Sucks that he just fell off... but fall off he did. Only way he gets into the HOF now is if he buys a ticket. If he could've maintained his play just a bit longer he'd have made it in.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Still, his prime was incredible

Most fun player we've had between Kovalev and Big Dick Nick Suzuki

His goals against Boston were stuff of Legend

He was also solid in Nashville for a couple of years

 

[Stylizer1]

I tried searching for a post on this here but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for nor on a basic Google AI search with a result of "reality of decline". PK was 32 his last season before he retired. As a Norris-winning D-man, what exactly were the "tangibles" or in-tangibles with his game that led to his decline and early retirement that can be described here? Saying, "he lost a step" isn't necessarily what I'm looking for. I'm asking more about the actual things that he was doing or not doing on the ice that made it obvious that his window was over, eg: "could never make a first pass out of the zone without sending it RIGHT to the opposition on a consistent basis" or "every time he pinched, it led to an odd-man rush the other way". Appreciate the input.

He was never a Norris caliber D. He was on the right team at the right time. Montreal was overhyping him because their team was really average. Won his only Norris in a shortened season.

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

That trade to Nashville - Subhann for Webber straight up cost Nashville the Stanley Cup.

Nashville removed Webbers character and grit and replaced it with Subhans cockiness and low brow me 1 st character and attitude. His little dance moves on the ice playing to the media and look at me attitude lost the respect of his fellow team mates. His Listerine parody / speel / joke/ playing up the media and his brand in the middle of finals against Pittsburgh about Crosby breath was simply embarrassing for him and his team mates. His team mates just rolled their eyes and looked the other way wishing their used to be Captain and team leader character based Webber was still there instead of this clown. !!!

To win you need Heart as said best by Gene Hackman as coach in the movie The replacements or even team play and trust in your team mates as Gene Hackman displayed as coach in the movie Hoosiers.

Go Team !!!! …. Not Go me!!!!

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Subban had 2 main issues contributing to his downfall...

1) he got hit by his teammate Emelin in Montreal even before the trade to Nashville, and I don't think the injury he sustained to his back ever really got resolved. It wasn't bad enough (at the time) that the trade was ever called into question. But it definitely seemed to be a contributing factor to his subsequent rapid decline.

2) He didn't train "smart". Subban had a relatively small build for an NHL defenseman, and he simply overcompensated with the weight training regime he undertook. He had great edgework, mediocre speed before things went off the rails. But he thought he needed to be Bigger, Stronger, and he kind of seemed to take on a training regime that promoted bulk strength? Which is always going to be a dumb approach for NHL hockey. You need other quick-twitch and isometric type training for the modern NHL, bulk strength alone really doesn't cut it. He should have tried to stay fast and mobile, instead he got bulky and slow.

I think it's unfortunate, because Subban had such an electric on-ice presence, he could have been a #1D on many teams, and a perennial Norris candidate. The thing that stood out on Nashville was just how much he WANTED to win. He was awesome on a pairing with Ekholm, I thought he was our #1D easily. He battled so hard despite his physical limitations. Ultimately, I think Roman Josi even learned a little bit from Subban about trying to maximize his skill, and it paid of for Josi's numbers afterwards. I still think Subban was the superior player, based on his combativeness and ability to step up in the playoffs. But Josi took some of PK's attitude to heart and subsequently elevated his game (offensively anyway) after PK left.

I thought Subban would transition a little more smoothly into the off-ice role? I guess he's "there" now on your TV broadcasts, and some people like him and many don't, but I honestly thought he'd have "conquered" the media role a little better by now?

Anyway, I thought he was an "underrated" player for Nashville, as a player, and I wish he could have played longer. But he obviously had different priorities, sensible priorities, off the ice, so be it.