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The hockeysphere was lit aflame on Friday morning, as reports suggested the struggling Montreal Canadiens are testing the waters to see if trading star defenseman P.K. Subban is feasible.
The report came from TVA Sports' Louis Jean, who claims one team executive says Subban's "name has come up" in trade discussions around the league in the past few weeks.
Not suggesting #Canadiens will trade Subban. Just saying one team confirmed #Habs are "gauging the market".
— Louis Jean (@LouisJean_TVA) February 19, 2016
The rumor adds fuel to a fire that's already engulfed the ashes of a once-great Canadiens season. Montreal's free-fall from the top of the league to out of the playoff race continued this week with some dismal performances. After his team's loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday, coach Michel Therrien threw Subban under the bus for the loss.
On Friday, Subban responded to both his coach and the rumors:
"I think I'm part of the answer, not the problem" - P.K. Subban.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 19, 2016
Michel Therrien: pic.twitter.com/xbT3IWsdVA
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) February 19, 2016
Let's be clear: the Montreal Canadiens will not trade P.K. Subban. It just isn't going to happen. If they haven't fired Therrien yet, there's certainly no way they'd trade their best player instead. But I suppose it speaks to just how bad the season has gotten for Montreal that a single rumor like this can take on a life of its own.