P.K. Subban joins ESPN as full-time NHL analyst

File this one under “least surprising news of the season.” P.K. Subban has officially launched a full-time broadcasting career. On Thursday morning, it was announced that he’s joining ESPN as an NHL analyst. He signed a three-year contract and will primarily operate in the studio but will occasionally work some live games.

Subban, 33, retired in September after 13 NHL seasons split between the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils. He was one of the most impactful defensemen in the league over the course of his career. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top blueliner in 2012-13 and was a finalist for the award in 2014-15 and 2017-18. He was a two-time first-team all-star and one-team second-team all-star. During his peak prime years from 2010-11 through 2017-18, he sat fifth among all defensemen in scoring.

But it wasn’t Subban’s on-ice contributions that made him destined for a broadcasting career, of course. He established himself as one of the sport’s most quotable, outgoing and stylish personalities throughout his playing days. As a Nashville Predator, with his gift of the gab, he successfully concocted a story during the 2017 Stanley Cup Final that Pittsburgh Penguin captain Sidney Crosby told him he had bad breath. Subban graced the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 19. He dated U.S. Olympic gold medallist skier Lindsey Vonn. He built one of the largest social media presences of any NHL player. He famously pledged $10 million to the Montreal Children’s Hospital in 2016. Always thinking about life after his playing career, he even took a business course alongside the likes of NFL star turned broadcaster Michael Strahan a few years back.

Subban got his feet wet working as an analyst for ESPN during the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, so the transition should be smooth.

“I’m excited to bring that passion and that energy that I brought on the ice to something else that I’m passionate about,” he told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “I hope that they’re just as excited as I am to get started. The people that follow and know me know that I keep honest. I’m going to be myself, and hopefully that’s what they want to see. I think that’s what people are excited about.”