PK Subban 4.24

NASHVILLE -- P.K. Subban isn't surprised his name has come up in trade speculation in the wake of the Nashville Predators losing to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I can't think of anything in a negative way about this organization, the city or my transition here that would want me to play anywhere else," the defenseman said Wednesday. "But at the same token, if I'm talking facts, I'm the highest-paid player on this team and with that comes a responsibility. Just like everybody else, the responsibility is on me to take the fact that we didn't win the first round, we didn't get out of the first round and we didn't want to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish. I hope I'm a part of the solution. I hope that I can be here and be part of that, but at the same token I'm prepared to understand that this organization deserves and demands the best, and they should. And the city and the fans deserve to have the best team on the ice come September.
"All I can do is prepare to get myself prepared the best I can to win a Stanley Cup and to do my job. I feel very confident about the years that I've had here with the play of our team, and that's the most important thing. My job was just to come in and try to fit in around the great core group of players that they've had here and they've tried to build a championship team around do my job. I love the core group. I love the guys here. All I can hope is to continue to try to help the team win a championship. That's it."
The Predators were eliminated in six games by the Stars on Monday, losing in the first round for the first time since 2015.
GM David Poile said he expects there will be changes for the Predators, who are deep at defenseman with captain Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm in addition to Subban.
Subban was traded to the Predators from the Montreal Canadiens for Shea Weber on June 29, 2016. Since then, the Predators have lost in the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, won a Presidents' Trophy and won two Central Division titles.
"For me, I feel I have a lot of good, solid years to come and I have a lot more to give to try and win a championship, and I feel we can accomplish that here," Subban said. "That's my only job now is to recover, rest and make use of this time so that we can win a Cup in this city. Anybody who doesn't believe we have the players to do that is wrong."