Darren Dreger confirming the worse for the Canadiens

From Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman yesterday:

''Over the years, Weber's punishing style has taken pieces out of opponents, but also himself. He has enormous pain tolerance, and, as teammates have readily admitted, will play through things others simply can't.''

''Unfortunately, we could be reaching the end of that situation. According to multiple sources — Weber, the Canadiens, the NHL and the NHLPA are doing their due diligence on the captain's medical situation and future.''

''He's been plagued with a left foot/ankle problem that has threatened his career. Weber missed two weeks with an injury there in February 2020 (true to form, he returned much sooner than expected). In March 2018, he had surgery to repair tendons in the area. There's been a worry for some time this problem would become too much to handle.''

Check it out:

That's got to be a pain in the neck. Weber has simply poured his heart out on the ice this postseason, and you could see he was broken up in the waning moments of Game 5. While the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their back-to-back titles, he appeared to be holding back tears. You have to believe Weber realised at that moment that he would never have another chance to win the Stanley Cup. Whatever your feelings are about the Habs and their unlikely playoff run, you have to feel for a warrior like Weber.

If this is the end for the 35-year-old native of Sicamous, British Columbia, he will be remembered as one of the best defensemen of his generation. In 1038 regular-season games with the Canadiens and the Nashville Predators, he has 224 goals and 589 points. He boasts one of the hardest slap shots in NHL history and has been nominated for the Norris Trophy three times as the league's finest defenseman.