May 15, 2020
Subban: 'I'm still one of the top defencemen'
Speaking on his 31st birthday, P.K. Subban said he believes a remains one of the best defencemen in the league, despite a decline in his offensive output. "In my opinion, I'm still one of the top defencemen in the League," Subban told Men's Journal earlier this week.
TSN.ca Staff
Speaking on his 31st birthday, P.K. Subban said he believes he remains one of the best blueliners in the NHL, despite a decline in his offensive output.
"In my opinion, I'm still one of the top defencemen in the league," Subban told Men's Journal earlier this week. "When I'm in the biggest games, the biggest moments, I feel that I'm one of the players that teams would love to have on their team and that they can rely on, and that's always been my game.
"I want to win everything every year. That's what you train for. If I didn't have the mindset of trying to be the best at what I do every day, then what's the point of doing it. You might as well retire."
The New Jersey Devils blueliner was on pace for the lowest point total of his career when the season was paused on March 12. He had seven goals and 18 points in 68 games and was a career-worst minus-21 while averaging 22:07 of ice time.
Subban, who won the Norris Trophy while with the Montreal Canadiens in 2013, was also a finalist for the award in 2018 as a member of the Nashville Predators. He was traded to the Devils last summer from the Predators for Steven Santini, Jeremy Davies and two second-round picks.
He also noted that its been a significant difference moving from Nashville to New Jersey.
"I think that the past two years, definitely, have been different experiences," Subban explained. "When you're on a team like Nashville that's got one Presidents' Trophy, Stanley Cup Finals, conference finals, winning divisions, and then going to [New Jersey, which] hasn't made the [Stanley Cup Playoffs] or has made it one year and out, and is a younger team, it's just a different situation.
"So it's an adjustment, but I definitely believe that there's better things to come for me in my career, whether it's winning a Norris Trophy or Stanley Cup."
Subban remains the league's third-highest paid defenceman, with a $9 million cap hit with two seasons left on the eight-year, $72 million contract he signed with the Canadiens in 2014.