The Canadiens may have fired their analytics consultant because of the P.K. Subban trade

The further away we get from the P.K. Subban trade that rocked the start of free agency at the end of June, the front office of the Montreal Canadiens looks more and more illogical. You would think time and distance from the move would make it more understandable, yet with every interview given by the front office since the trade, it’s clear that they don’t see Subban the way many fans and media members do.

Take this latest piece from Sportsnet.ca, for example, which may have dropped the latest bomb in the franchise-changing move. According to a source, the Canadiens analytics consultant Matt Pfeffer made an “impassioned” plea to the Canadiens front office to keep them from trading Subban for Shea Weber. Montreal ignored the warning, and Pfeffer was then told his contract would not be renewed with the team.

Here’s the whole passage in full:

A source told Sportsnet that Matt Pfeffer, who was hired as an analytics consultant at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, made an impassioned and elaborate presentation to management to dissuade them from following through on this trade.

Ignoring Pfeffer’s advice only served to reinforce the notion that Bergevin was following different criteria in his evaluation of both players, said the source, who also suggested Pfeffer’s vehemence on the matter might have ultimately cost him the job (he was told on Wednesday that his contract won’t be renewed). The Canadiens would not comment on why they aren’t renewing his contract, but they did say that they are looking into other analytics solutions.

It doesn’t take much research to see that Subban is better than Weber in almost every advanced analytic metric across the board. Seriously, their possession metrics are as night and day as they come.

The dissent among the ranks was apparently enough to push Pfeffer out of the door, though the piece says the Canadiens are looking for a replacement, likely someone akin to this Twitter gem: