Jonathan Drouin reveals new info regarding captain Shea Weber

By now, everyone should know that Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber won't be returning to the lineup this season and is currently on the long-term injured reserve. The 36-year-old is currently in Seattle with the team ahead of their matchup with the Kraken tonight.

In his pre-game media availability, Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin revealed an interesting tidbit regarding Weber, saying that he's retired and scouting for the team.

"He's in scouting. He's with Marc. He's doing something else now. He retired, basically. Everyone knows it now. He will not come back [with] us," Drouin told reporters.

It's more than likely that Weber is ''retired'', but he hasn't officially signed his retirement papers and will remain on LTIR. Canadiens Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Paul Wilson was quick to reiterate that during today's media availability.

The difference between Weber being on LTIR and officially retiring/signing his papers could have massive implications on his former club, the Nashville Predators.

If Shea Weber officially retires and signs his papers before his contract expires, the Predators will be tagged with a $4.9 million cap hit through the 2026 season when the contract expires. This is due to cap recapture penalties which was created to discourage teams from eluding the salary cap under the last CBA with front-loaded contracts. This penalty is in place due to the massive 14-year, 110 million dollar offer sheet Weber signed with the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2012, which the Predators matched.

NOUVEAU Jonathan Drouin à propos de Shea Weber:
«Il est dans le scouting. Il est avec Marc. Il fait autre chose maintenant. Il a pris sa retraite, dans le fond. Tout le monde le sait maintenant. Il ne reviendra pas [avec] nous.» https://t.co/DFOtjwVrbS— Alexandre Pratt (@alexandrepratt) October 26, 2021

As per Canadiens, nothing has changed re: Shea Weber's status. He remains on LTIR.— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 26, 2021

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