The Montreal Canadiens traded defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber on Wednesday, the clubs announced.

It's a straight one-for-one trade.

Montreal just acquired the age 31-40 seasons of Weber in exchange for the age 27-31 seasons from Subban. — Jonathan Willis (@JonathanWillis) June 29, 2016

Subban had a no-movement clause in his contract that would have kicked in on July 1. His name had been in the rumor mill for months, but the trade still comes as a shock. His contract runs through 2021 at a salary cap hit of $9 million.

Weber is now the former captain of the Predators. He's signed through the 2025-26 season at $7.857 million. By the salary cap, the two players were the highest-paid defenders in the NHL.

Poile in a statement on Subban: “Superstar defensemen of his caliber are a rare commodity, and we are thrilled to add him to the organiztn.” — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 29, 2016

Subban had six goals and 45 assists last season, but was a lightning rod for criticism after Montreal's season fell apart after a very strong start. Weber had 51 points and scored 20 goals - the third time in his career he's hit the mark.

Weber's a five-time All-Star and three-time Norris Trophy finalst, while Subban's twice participated at the annual midseason showcase. Trade talks began to get serious at last week's draft, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said the following in a statement: