The Nashville Predators acquired P.K. Subban from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Shea Weber on Wednesday in a blockbuster swap of All-Star defensemen two days before free agency opens.

Subban won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2013 and had six goals and 45 assists this past season before suffering an injury. The offensive-minded, dynamic 27-year-old has 63 goals and 215 assists in 434 career games, all with the Canadiens.

He said he was not surprised by the trade because there had been so many rumors since he signed a $72 million, eight-year contract in the summer of 2014. Subban’s no-movement clause was set to kick in on Friday.

‘‘With a lot of the chatter that kind of happened over the little while, I’m a firm believer that usually where there’s smoke there’s fire,’’ Subban said.

Subban was not always the favorite of coach Michel Therrien and others in the organization despite his playmaking ability. Still, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said trading Subban was ‘‘one of the most difficult decisions’’ he has had to make.

‘‘We completed today an important transaction, which I am convinced will make the Canadiens a better team,’’ Bergevin said. ‘‘P.K. Subban is a special and very talented player. He provided the Canadiens organization with strong performances on the ice and generous commitment in the community,’’ including a $10 million donation to Montreal Children’s Hospital last year.

Nashville GM David Poile said the trade was first discussed at the draft last weekend in Buffalo. It was worth it for Poile giving up Weber for Subban.

‘‘P.K. Subban is an elite offensive defenseman with tremendous skill and contagious energy that makes the Nashville Predators a better team now and into the future,’’ Poile said. ‘‘Superstar defensemen of his caliber are a rare commodity, and we are thrilled to add him to the organization.’’

Weber, who turns 31 on Aug. 14, had been with Nashville since the start of his NHL career in 2005. He signed a $110 million, 14-year offer sheet with Philadelphia as a restricted free agent in 2012, but Nashville matched it to keep him.

The three-time Norris Trophy finalist was a team captain and had 20 goals and 31 assists this past season.

‘‘In Shea Weber, we get a top rated NHL defenseman with tremendous leadership, and a player who will improve our defensive group as well as our power play for many years to come,’’ Bergevin said. ‘‘He is a complete rearguard with impressive size and a powerful shot.’’

Subban stopped short of saying he felt unwanted by the Canadiens.

‘‘I just feel good knowing that a team has moved someone to bring me in because they want me,’’ Subban said. ‘‘Just happy to be in a situation where I can excel and feel good coming to the rink every day about myself, about the team, about my position. More importantly I just look forward to trying to win a Stanley Cup. That’s your ultimate goal and I feel that I got a whole lot closer to doing that today.’’

Stamkos stays in Tampa

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is staying put in Tampa Bay.

The 26-year-old Stamkos tweeted that he was ‘‘excited to be back for eight more years’’ and three people familiar with the decision confirmed the move. One of the people said the contract is worth $68 million, meaning Stamkos will average $8.5 million per season.

All three people spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the Lightning had not announced the decision, which was first reported by Canada’s TSN.

The agreement was reached two days before Stamkos had the opportunity to test free agency, where the two-time NHL scoring champion was expected to command far more lucrative offers from numerous bidders, including his hometown Maple Leafs.

Instead, he chose to stay with the team that made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft.

The agreement comes as something of a surprise after Stamkos and the Lightning were unable to negotiate a contract extension during the season. The uncertainty led to Stamkos potentially becoming the highest-profile player to hit the free agent market in several years.

His status even loomed over the NHL draft in Buffalo last weekend, where several team executives expressed their interest in making a bid to sign Stamkos. Sabres general manager Tim Murray was among them, and referred to Stamkos as ‘‘the big fish.’’

Lightning GM Steve Yzerman remained hopeful that a deal could be reached, saying as recently as Saturday that he had not closed the door on re-signing Stamkos.

The Lightning at least had a slight edge over other teams. Under NHL rules, they were allowed to sign Stamkos to an eight-year contract, while other teams were limited to making seven-year offers.

Stamkos has topped 40 goals four times. He won the NHL’s regular-season scoring title twice, including 2011-12, when he had a career-best 60 goals.

Hall traded to Devils

The Devils acquired former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall from the Oilers for defenseman Adam Larsson­.

The trade gives the goal-starved Devils an exciting young left wing, who was the No. 1 pick in 2010.

An emotional Hall admitted the move caught him off guard after dealing with six losing seasons in Edmonton.

‘‘It’s tough,’’ the 24-year-old Hall said in a conference call. ‘‘I have a pretty deep connection to the city of Edmonton. I felt I did everything I could there so it’s pretty hard not to feel slighted, not to feel a little disappointed with the way everything shook out. That’s hockey.’’

What seemed to bother Hall most was that he felt that the trade focused the blame on him for the team’s losing seasons.

Hall said he expressed his disappointment to Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli after being informed of the trade.

‘‘I don’t want to sound like I am not excited to join New Jersey,’’ Hall said. ‘‘That’s not the case. I’m a proud person and I take this as an indictment of me as a hockey player. I don’t think there is any other way to treat it. I think it’s safe to say I am a very motivated player right now.’’

The Oilers get a solid defenseman who was the No. 4 overall selection in 2011. They also get salary cap space to possibly sign free agent Milan Lucic with Hall’s $6 million annual salary heading to New Jersey.

The Devils, who have missed the playoffs the past four seasons, have not had a top-notch goal scorer Zach Parise was lost to free agency in 2012 and Ilya Kovalchuk retired and returned to Russia the following season.

Hall spent his entire six-year career with the Oilers, notching 132 goals and 196 assists in 381 games.

He has led Edmonton in scoring for three of the past four seasons, and has finished in the top three on the squad in each of his six seasons. This past season, he had 26 goals and 39 assists. He represented the Oilers at the All-Star Game.

Larsson had three goals and 15 assists, playing in all 82 games on the Devils’ top defensive pairing. The 23-year-old Swede has nine goals and 60 assists in 274 games.

Jackets re-sign Jones

The Blue Jackets took care of one of their biggest offseason priorities by signing defenseman Seth Jones to a $32.4 million, six-year contract. Jones, a pending restricted free agent, will count $5.4 million against the salary cap through the 2020-21 season. Agent Pat Brisson­ confirmed the terms of the contract, which includes a modified no-trade clause in years five and six. The Blue Jackets acquired Jones in a January trade that sent center Ryan­ Johansen to Nashville.

The Blues signed forward Kyle Brodziak to a two-year contract extension. The 32-year-old Brodziak had two goals in the playoffs this past season after totaling 11 points in 76 regular-season games leading the checking line . . . A person with direct knowledge of the moves told the AP that Predators forward Eric Nystrom and Flames forward Mason Raymond were placed on waivers in order for their teams to buy out the remaining year of their contracts . . . The Wild re-signed left wing Jason Zucker to a two-year, $4 million contract.