Montreal acquired Weaver at the trade deadline last season and he gave them some sturdy defense (plus-9, 34 blocked shots) in 17 games. It was somewhat surprising the Habs elected to bring him back, but they did so for one season and a career-high $1.75 million. They have a couple of young defensemen ready for a bigger role and added Tom Gilbert from Florida, so we need to see how they all shake out. Whatever his role, Weaver's most value is in the shot-blocking category.
Weaver recorded a goal and eight assists in 27 games with the Panthers last season, and he'll likely spend 2013-14 on the bottom defensive pairing again. As a 35-year-old who has never scored more than 16 points in a season, he doesn't hold much fantasy value.
The veteran defender re-upped for two more seasons with the Panthers, signing a contract in December. Weaver, who has played all 82 games in back-to-back seasons, has minimal offensive potential and should post points in the 15-20 point range. He's relied up on more by Florida to prevent goals rather than create them.
Weaver is a diminutive defender at 5-foot-9, but his wealth of experience compensates for the lack of size. The reserve defenseman joins his fifth club in eight NHL seasons after signing a two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Panthers in August of 2010. However, he simply does not provide the offense that fantasy owners require.
Weaver's been around for seven seasons and four teams, so he brings a lot of experience to a relatively young group. It's likely he sticks with the active roster, but will not bring much in the way of fantasy production.
A smallish defender at 5-foot-9, Weaver was brought in to provide defensive depth for the Penguins. He totalled nine points (3,6) in 39 games with the Kings in 2006-07. Weaver has 24 points (3,21) in 149 NHL games spanning parts of four seasons.
He will be a depth defenseman this season as the Kings are deep at the blue line. He could be carried as a seventh defenseman, which would make him a healthy scratch most of the season.
Weaver will be fighting for a roster spot this season, and if he does make the team it he will be on the bottom pairing or a regularly scratched player.
