Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban found the spotlight very quickly in an NHL market that the spotlight is never turned off. Hockey-mad Montreal made Pernell Karl Subban their second pick (43rd overall) in the 2007 entry draft.

The Toronto defenseman spent two more years with the Belleville Bulls honing his craft before signing an entry-level contract with Montreal. Subban spent a full season with Hamilton, Montreal’s AHL affiliate, garnering first team All Star honors before being called up to the NHL on a full time basis in 2011.

Subban was named to the NHL’s All Rookie team in 2011 after a 14 goal, 38-point debut. After a disappointing sophomore season, Subban was awarded the Norris Memorial Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL. He matched his career high with 38 points, but did so in the 42-game lockout-shortened season.

With his entry deal expiring the young defenseman and his team began some very public and spirited negotiations about the next contract. While Subban was looking for a long-term deal, the Canadiens were stubborn with their prodigal and explosive young star.

The main argument against a long-term commitment was an underlying question about Subban’s maturity and discipline. While his game was soaring to new levels, there were questions about his ability to coexist with some tough coaching and accept accountability at both ends of the ice.

While the fans were thrilled at Subban’s explosiveness at carrying the puck from end-to-end, it was the costly, timely turnovers and mental errors that drove them crazy. Subban was the blue line equivalent of Alexander Ovechkin, talent for days but often reckless, failing to see past the moment.

After a four-game embargo, the Habs and their star agreed on a two-year compromise that would pay Subban $5.75 million. It was a step in the right direction, but would prove to be a bargain for the Canadiens over the next two years.

With the weight of a contract temporarily removed from his shoulders Subban entered his fourth year in the NHL with a purpose. The Canadiens had slipped past Boston for the division title in 2013, but many were writing off the Habs as a fluke. Led by goaltender Carey Price and Subban, Montreal put those assumptions to rest with another impressive campaign.

While the stats piled up towards an encore Norris Trophy performance the most notable improvement in Subban’s game was his patience with the puck. There were still plenty of signature rushes up the ice, but the timing of the plays helped the Canadiens as he joined the rush, rather than “being” the rush and abandoning his post as a defenseman.

There was still plenty of physical play from the mercurial rear guard, as his 124 hits will attest. There were still some penalty minutes that he would like to have back (84), but there was better judgment throughout the season, which leads the Canadien brass to believe that Subban is a franchise player that at only 25 years of age can truly lead this franchise for the next decade.

Subban’s maturity was on display in Montreal’s semifinal playoff series against the Boston Bruins. As a player that has become the face of the Montreal Canadiens, Subban is particularly reviled by the fan base in Boston.

With ugliness and despicable racism boiling over after Subban’s overtime game-winning goal in Game 1, the “new and improved” mature Pernell chose not to make it an issue at all. While the Bruins franchise went as far as to make a public apology to Subban, the Canadiens’ defenseman chose to simply play hockey.

As the hard fought series moved towards the seven game limit, Subban refused to be baited into the extracurricular tactics that Boston was using to get Montreal off their game. With the series win, a considerable upset over a hated rival, the metamorphosis seems to be complete.

As the Canadiens engage the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals they know they can count on their young star to play a central role in the outcome. Obviously the fate of Les Habitants doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of P.K. Subban, but there is no doubt he will have an impact on the outcome of the series.

Though Game 1 was a Ranger’s whitewash in Montreal, there is plenty of hockey left to play. The Canadiens are proving to everyone that last year’s success was hardly a fluke as they look to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993. The most storied franchise in NHL history still has a lot of work to do if they want to add to their history and collection of championship banners.