Adam Vingan

avingan@tennessean.com

The hockey-watching world was struggling to digest a shocking swap of top-tier NHL defensemen, and P.K. Subban was swallowing foie gras.

Subban was dining on liver in Paris on Wednesday during a European vacation when he learned he had been traded to the Predators for Shea Weber. Back in North America, the trade was being met with widespread bewilderment. People wanted his reaction.

"Unbelievable," Subban said.

He was referring to his meal.

That is the essence of Subban. He is playfully self-aware, which has resulted in his vast popularity and complements his flashiness on the ice.

The vibrancy of Nashville seems tailored for the magnetic Subban.

"I can tell you this right now — I'd like to get down there as quickly as possible because I've always enjoyed my time in Nashville," he said. "Over (the) All-Star break, I had an opportunity to get to know some of the players on the team. I don't know if that's a coincidence, but I got along with the guys great."

Subban was a hit during the NHL All-Star Game in January at Bridgestone Arena, dressing up like Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr during the skills competition, complete with mullet wig. He joked Wednesday that the Predators might have made the trade because they "appreciated the silliness."

Later, he analyzed the Predators' defense by sharing that his addition gives the team "the best-looking (defensive) corps in the league."

If he's not impersonating iconic Canadian coach and broadcaster Don Cherry, down to Cherry's garish floral suits, he's attempting to defuse a rumored spat with Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty by asking the media, “What do I have to do? Go over there and make out with him?” (He settled for a hug.)

These are the moments that have made Subban a viral sensation. They are not what define him, however, even if he has been boxed in by them in the past.

He is more than that. He is a philanthropist and was a pillar of the Montreal community, donating $10 million to Montreal Children's Hospital last year. A social worker at the hospital told Sportsnet after the trade that “there’s going to be a lot of crying children here."

Even then, there is a widely held belief that Subban's affable and outsized personality grated some within the straight-laced Canadiens organization and factored into the trade.

He was and still is beloved by Canadiens fans, but there was doubt that the team felt the same.

"Yes, P.K.'s different," Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters Wednesday. "We're not going to hide that. There was never an issue, never a problem. ... I think it was blown out of proportion."

Said Subban: "I have to say that out of all the fan bases within the National Hockey League, the Montreal Canadiens fans and community and the province of Quebec probably embraced me more than any other player has felt in any other city. It's give and take. ... On the business side of things, the Montreal Canadiens paid me a lot of money two years ago to do what I do for a living. At the end of the day, I just wanted to come in and do my job."

The two players involved in one of the biggest one-for-one trades in NHL history couldn't be more different.

Weber is reserved and prefers to live his life privately. Subban has crossover appeal, and few cities offer opportunities to explore that more than Nashville, where he will become the Predators' most marketable star. The spotlight gravitates toward him.

Subban undoubtedly will fit in in Nashville, but how will he fit in the Predators' dynamic?

"The way that I look at it is the guy, from what I've seen and playing against him and hearing things and seeing things throughout his time in the NHL, he's all about fun," Predators center Ryan Johansen said. "He cares about everybody. ... To me, he's enjoying every moment of it. Like all of us, he's living his dream of playing in the National Hockey League. And he's having a blast. He's not going to let people judge him for who he is. He's just going to be himself."

There was enough apparent tension between Subban and Canadiens coach Michel Therrien to suggest that the two were at odds. Predators coach Peter Laviolette, like Therrien, is a no-nonsense figure. Although Subban plays on the edge and takes chances, that better suits the Predators' style of play and should be seen as an asset.

"Ultimately for him, it's an opportunity to just come to a place where he's going to be valued," NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes said. "The reality here is at no point in time really was he ever fully embraced by the (Canadiens) organization. Period. When you're a superstar player and you're a high-quality human being and you bring those attributes to the table, just look at it conversely, Shea Weber was lauded for all of those things, as he should be. ... But from a organizational standpoint, that wasn't the case in Montreal with P.K.

"I think there are so many similarities between a place like Nashville and P.K. Everyone believes that the Predators will respect those things in P.K., and the city and the amazing fans down there, they will. And in many ways, he will with them as well."

Predators general manager David Poile said Wednesday that if you asked the rest of the team's hockey operations staff, they'd tell you that Subban is his favorite player, constantly nudging them about how captivating Subban is.

It's the kind of reaction that Subban inspires, and the Predators are eager to welcome it.

"I'm a general manager, but someday, I would like to be a fan, and this is a guy that I would pay money to see," Poile said. "He’s exciting to watch. He does something every game. He competes every game. He shows up every game. I think it is going to be dynamic.”

Reach Adam Vingan on Twitter @AdamVingan.

P.K. SUBBAN'S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS

— Dressing up like Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game

— Disguising himself as "Karl the Security Guard" and surprising children with Christmas presents

— Pouring a dump truck full of ice on himself for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

— Donating $10 million to Montreal Children's Hospital