Turns Out Shea Weber and the Montreal Canadiens Are Pretty Good

The Montreal Canadiens made two risky and highly scrutinized moves this summer and (so far) both are paying off in a big way for the club.

Off to one of their hottest starts in franchise history, the Canadiens (6-0-1) remain the only team yet to lose in regulation this season. Their +14 goal differential is tops in the NHL, while they rank second in goals per game and first in goals against average.

The clean health of the world's best goaltender, Carey Price, has certainly brought stability back to a Montreal team that was a trainwreck after losing him to a knee injury last November. Although the return of a star like Price would be vital to any team's success, Montreal's exceptional play so far is a result of much more than that. Enter Shea Weber.

On Wednesday, Weber blasted the game-winning goal with under three minutes left in the third, in the process confirming that he is the alpha dog in a re-jigged Canadiens lineup that now has (in Weber) that ever-elusive stud defensive defenceman to play on the right side of their generational goaltender. He added an assist and has recorded a multi-point game in three of his last four contests.

Pretty sure that's a Shea Weber knuckle puck. — #HockeyFightsCancer (@NHL)October 27, 2016

In a deal that got completely destroyed in the media (including by us) and around hockey circles, GM Marc Bergevin was crushed by almost everyone outside the organization for trading fan favourite, high-flying defenceman P.K. Subban to Nashville for the older, and not-so-flashy Weber.

Although much too early to declare a winner in the trade, with Subban playing great for the Predators as well, there is no question that Weber has been an absolute beast with his new team.

Despite owning one of the league's hardest shots and averaging a shade over 50 points per season over the last three years, Weber was primarily brought in to be the hard-nosed, No. 1 shutdown man for a defensive core that has lacked just that in front of the world's best between the pipes. Their prized acquisition has delivered all that and more since arriving from Music City, leading the team in ice time—logging over 26 minutes per game—while playing in every key situation against the opposition's very best forwards.

Weber also leads the NHL with a plus-12 rating while the Canadiens rank first in the league in GAA, and are among the best in penalty kill efficiency since his arrival. To go with his stingy defensive play, the native of Sicamous, British Columbia, has brought the offence with him, leading the Canadiens in most major offensive categories, including assists (6), points (9), and game-winning goals (2), while sitting second on the team in goals (3).

On top of the incredible offensive output by Weber, the Canadiens are getting key contributions from another player with a Nashville connection whom they crossed their fingers with and took a flier on this offseason.

Alexander Radulov last played in the NHL briefly for the Predators during their playoff run in 2012, when he notoriously missed curfew and was subsequently healthy-scratched by head coach Barry Trotz. Four years and 181 KHL games later, an older and more mature Radulov returned to the NHL on a one-year deal with Montreal this season, and has recorded five points in seven contests for a Canadiens team that has climbed from 16th to No. 3 in the league in goals per game.

While they've exploded out of the gate in similar fashion before, this time they are looking to avoid the mid-season implosions that have derailed their hot starts in the past.

After starting off the 2015 campaign with an explosive nine straight wins, things went downhill in a hurry as the Canadiens plummeted after Price's November injury, finishing the season third last—ahead of only Buffalo and Toronto—in the Eastern Conference.

This season, the organization can only hope to continue reaping the rewards from its risky offseason moves. And if Carey Price can stay healthy for the duration of the season and into the playoffs, then I guess that should help a little bit, too.