BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Matt Moulson thought he had a sure goal in the third period during a Buffalo Sabres power play until the long stick of Shea Weber appeared as the last moment to deflect away the puck from his blade.
It wasn't a sexy play. But it saved a goal. There were many of these little, smart plays from Shea Weber in his opening performance as a Montreal Canadiens defenseman, the 31-year-old playing a game-high 24:04 while posting a plus-3 and adding an assist, his wrist shot from the blue-line deflected by Brendan Gallagher for the insurance goal in a 4-1 win Thursday night.
Weber is rarely going to dominate the SportsCenter highlight package like the player he was traded for often does -- so don't look for the end-to-end rushes of P.K. Subban.
No, these two guys have polar opposite games, which is why comparing them this season is going to be in the eye of the beholder.
"I mean, people are going to talk about it all the time, but that's not for me to listen to or worry about," Weber said after Thursday night's game, when asked yet again about the trade. "I'm about this team here, the Canadiens. We've got a great group, and I'm looking forward to being part of it.''
Many Habs fans were beside themselves when Habs general manager Marc Bergevin sent away the popular Subban last June to the Nashville Predators, and many in the media world who questioned the deal, too.
But it's uncanny how it's nearly impossible to find a GM or a coach around the league who can say anything bad about it from Montreal's perspective.
"It is a fair trade for both sides," a Western Conference GM said via text message Thursday night. "Top right-shot defense. Montreal gets some cap relief in order to sign [Carey] Price at some point. Nashville gets a younger player but carries cap recapture liability if he retires. Fair trade.''
Added a Western Conference coach: "Interesting trade. I believe this was a trade made more about culture and chemistry than it was about who has more talent. Short-term 'team' culture win for Montreal, long-term talent win for Nashville.''
Calling a deal a win for both teams is often a cop-out, but what if this is potentially what this trade turns out to be? Subban should be a wonderful fit on a Predators team coached by Peter Laviolette, who preaches the type of up-tempo game that should benefit his skills.
The Habs, meanwhile, clearly had leadership/character issues last year as their season went into the abyss without Price in net. They've addressed that and then some in Weber.
"I'm sure they're both going to be very good players for their teams," Gallagher said Thursday night. "With us, it was a good move in the sense we needed what Shea's going to bring to our locker room, the presence that he has. It's a good addition to our team. P.K.'s going to go there and be P.K. I'm sure he's going to have success there as well. It's just a matter of two clubs making a move to benefit their team. There's trades that can be a win for both sides. For us, we definitely feel like we're happy with the trade. We hope Nashville is too."
As one member of the Habs organization said, just the way Weber already had handled himself day-to-day, business-like, has had an impact on the team. And there he was last Sunday inviting the team over to his place in Montreal for a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner to watch the Toronto Blue Jays playoff game.
"I thought Shea, right from Day 1, has come in, the presence that he brought to our locker room has helped us in so many areas, off the ice, on the ice, everywhere," said Gallagher. "In our offensive zone, defensive zone. He's so effective. He's so controlled, the way he handles the game. He was physical tonight, got his shot through, being a factor that way. We're very excited to have him, and it's certainly nice to have him on your team and not have to play against him."
As he stood there for the anthems Thursday night, I wondered if he was thinking for a moment about his mother, who past away in August 2011 of brain cancer but who had a huge impact on his life. Tracy Weber would have surely been proud of her son wearing the bleu, blanc et rouge for the first time.
"I always think about her," Weber said. "She's always going to be part of my life. She raised me to be who I am.''
The stoic Weber isn't one for too many words. He lets his actions do the talking. His personality and character are going to be felt in the Habs dressing room for years to come.
One suspects there might be a Norris Trophy or two in Subban's future with the Predators, which will only serve to further fuel the debate of this trade.
But there is no looking back for the Habs, who got the kind of leader they desperately wanted.