Authoritative arguments of any kind instantly cause my skepticism sensors to go a little haywire, particularly when that authority is rooted in legend more so than hard evidence. Suffice it to say, therefore, that the vast majority of comments prior to the return of Shea Weber from injury had those sensors going bonkers.



It was impossible to ignore the difficult realities facing Weber upon his return to the Canadiens lineup on Nov. 27. At age 33, he had clearly lost a step in terms of both speed and agility when compared to his prime, something that first became clear in his final playoff series in a Nashville Predators uniform. David Poile did not trade him to Montreal just so he could make the front page of the paper. In addition to that, Weber was returning from two major surgeries to a team in the midst of a rebuild or reset or whatever that had its defence corps as its primary weakness. And oh yeah, minor detail here, but that team had made a tactical change emphasizing...