NASHVILLE — Shea Weber wouldn't have drawn it up this way, but a nagging lower-body injury might keep him out of the Montreal Canadiens lineup against his former team in Nashville Wednesday.
That would be a shame for Weber, for the Canadiens, and certainly for the fans of the Predators who were likely looking forward to seeing him for a second time since he was traded in June of 2016.
Weber's absence from the game wouldn't be the worst outcome for a Predators team that's won seven of its last eight games and is expecting an angry Canadiens group that's lost five of its last six.
"Hopefully for him he's back soon," said Predators defenceman P.K. Subban, who came to Nashville in the trade for Weber. "Hopefully for us it's not tonight."
Weber, who spent 11 seasons with the Predators — six of them as team captain — missed Montreal's 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars Tuesday, skated Wednesday and afterwards referred to himself as a game-time decision. When he was asked if he'd push extra hard to play because there's an emotional connection to Nashville, he said, "I tried to push yesterday (in Dallas)."
"Obviously right now is a crucial time for our team trying to get things back on track, so obviously I want to be out there with the guys and I don't think the fact that it's here is any more than it would be any other night," Weber added.
Weber has been a horse for the 8-12-2 Canadiens this season, logging over 26 minutes per game, notching four goals and nine assists and playing in all situations and against the opposition's best shift in and shift out. Without him, they lost a 3-0 game to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 9 and struggled against the Stars on Tuesday.
Joe Morrow and Karl Alzner took turns taking shifts in Weber's place against the Stars, but with Jakub Jerabek meeting the team in Nashville after being recalled from the AHL's Laval Rocket overnight there's no telling who would take on Weber's responsibilities if he couldn't play in Nashville.
Canadiens coach Claude Julien might be able to confirm Weber's presence and other lineup changes when he speaks at 4:45 p.m. CT.
The good news for Julien and the Canadiens is that Weber's progressing.
"It's improving, that's the good thing," he said. "Mentally that's what you want is for it to continue to improve and you want it to be perfect over time, but that's not always the case.
"For me personally I want to be back as quickly as a I can. Obviously I'm going to play through as much pain as I can without hindering my ability to play and help the team. At the end of the day, I have to be able to go out there and contribute and not let my teammates down. I'm responsible for them, and we gotta make the decision that's best for the team."
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