In a blockbuster trade Wednesday, the Montreal Canadiens traded star defenceman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for two-time Olympic gold medalist Shea Weber. While the move shocked the hockey world, the implications for Subban’s marketing profile could be substantial.

“P.K. Subban’s brand has been so significant, especially since he signed with Gatorade, and now he’s got to move to Nashville as a market. He’s not a forward; in the U.S., they tend to put the forwards and goal scorers up front,” said John Yorke, president of Rain43, in an interview with BNN.

“I think the limit to him is that he didn’t go to a New York, or to an L.A. where he could’ve had that Mark Messier on Broadway kind of view, or [Wayne] Gretzky in L.A…It’s going to be hard for P.K. Subban to break into Nashville and really make a splash in the U.S.”

Yorke added he thinks the trade was unfortunate, coming so soon after Subban pledged a record $10 million donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

“You’ve got somebody here who is an icon with youth and a chance to be somebody to move up in Montreal, and in a matter of six months, that’s all going to be forgotten.”

However Matthew Logue, chief operating officer of S&E Sponsorship Group, has a different view. He says bringing a face like Subban's to the Predators could boost reception for hockey in the community, and bring real prominence to a city that tends to fly under the radar.

“P.K. brings something really unique and energetic,” Logue said.

He adds Subban could join a long list of players who have breathed new life into a U.S. team.

“Jonathan Toews in Chicago, Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh, Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay, so there’s a really known connection there of Canadian talent going in and helping inject life into a U.S.-based franchise.”