As the Montreal Canadiens continue to underperform, it's impossible not to look back at the P.K. Subban-for-Shea Weber trade as the most glaring of Marc Bergevin's ill-advised moves, and the one that precipitated the club's descent.

Subban will host the Canadiens for the first time Wednesday, when his Nashville Predators - winners of seven of their last 10 games - meet a Montreal squad that's lost four in a row and now has the NHL's fifth-worst record.

While it's not productive to fixate on the past, the matchup is yet another reminder of the controversial blockbuster and the fact that it's a major reason the Canadiens are where they are at the moment.

Yes, Montreal's general manager made a handful of disastrous decisions before and after the Subban-Weber transaction: Dealing away Mikhail Sergachev, letting Andrei Markov and Alexander Radulov walk, giving Karl Alzner a five-year contract, trading for and signing Andrew Shaw long term.

And yes, Carey Price's latest injury has exposed the Canadiens' flaws and once again forced them to forge ahead without their star goaltender.

But nearly 17 months after the Subban-for-Weber trade, the swap still stands out as an inescapable factor in Montreal's downfall.

The Canadiens undoubtedly appreciate Weber's blistering slap shot, his ability to score goals, and his experience, but they're a slower team without Subban, who's producing at a higher per-game clip than Weber on the offensive end and providing the Predators with further defensive stability.

Nashville's previously steady blue line transformed into the NHL's best last season with the addition of Subban, who helped the Predators reach the Stanley Cup Final after the Canadiens were bounced out of the first round by the New York Rangers.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Now that the Canadiens' situation has only gotten worse more than a quarter of the way into the 2017-18 season, Montreal's recent slide only further underscores that they were the losers in the deal.

It not only hurt Montreal in both the short and long term (have a look at their respective contracts for evidence of the latter), but it was also the most blatant example of how Bergevin's misguided vision for retooling the roster only made it worse.

That strategy, namely valuing physicality and strength over speed and skill, is arguably the biggest reason why the Canadiens have taken a significant step backward, and the Subban-for-Weber move was the largest in a series of actions Bergevin took to mold the team in that way.

Weber is dealing with an injury and may not play Wednesday, but the game will be compelling regardless. It's a reminder that the Canadiens gave up on Subban, and that they're worse off in so doing.

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The governing body of Canadian hockey is taking the KHL's threat seriously.

Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney sent a letter to the KHL asking the league to allow its players to take part in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the organization confirmed to CBC Sports.

The Czech, Finnish, and Swedish hockey federations co-signed the letter, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.

Earlier this month, KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko threatened to "respond accordingly" by prohibiting the league's players from going to the Olympics if the entire Russian delegation is barred from competing as punishment in the IOC's ongoing doping investigation regarding the 2016 Games in Sochi.

That decision will be made Dec. 5.

IIHF president Rene Fasel has said numerous times that the KHL is not allowed to prevent its players from participating in the Olympics, and that the international governing body would be forced to apply sanctions should the league not comply.

"(The) KHL, being a member of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, has to follow the statutes and bylaws of the IIHF and they have to release foreign players and the national team players from other countries to play in the Olympics," Fasel reiterated to Russian news agency TASS on Monday.

An IOC ban on Russian athletes in Pyeongchang would affect athletes in many sports, while the KHL's threatened response could impact players from many countries.

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It was another forgettable outing for Cam Talbot on Tuesday night.

The Edmonton Oilers netminder saw just 7:35 of ice time before head coach Todd McLellan yanked him from the game after Talbot conceded two goals on the first three St. Louis Blues shots he faced.

Talbot's season hasn't been as prolific as it was one year ago. His second season as Edmonton's true No. 1 goalie was everything fans could have hoped for. He played a league-high 73 games and matched Washington Capitals starter Braden Holtby with 42 wins.

He was the team's most valuable player not named Connor McDavid, rocking a .919 save percentage while allowing an average of just 2.39 goals per game. And he played a monumental role in helping the Oilers reach the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

Now in his third season as the team's go-to shot-stopper, Talbot has failed to replicate last season's success through the first 19 games of the 2018 campaign.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

With Tuesday's game in the books, Talbot now sits with a .900 save percentage and a 3.19 goals against average - the 27th- and 28th-best marks, respectively, among the 33 goalies to play at least 10 games this season. Those numbers are simply not good enough for a team once expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season.

And at this point, the playoffs appear to be a pipe dream for the Oilers.

The club has been a disaster early on. Edmonton sits tied for the third-worst record in the league and is riding the 29th-best offense, averaging just 2.38 goals per game. But to their credit, the Oilers are allowing the fifth-fewest shots against per game and are firing the eighth-most, so they've done a good job at keeping the action in their opponent's end.

The problem has been the production up front, or lack thereof. Through 21 games, only six players have managed more than three goals.

Without the Oilers scoring on a regular basis, Talbot will need to get his play back on track for this team to win. The club has made it quite clear they don't have a ton of faith in Laurent Brossoit - at least not yet anyway - as Talbot has played in 90 percent of the Oilers' games this season, so they may be prepared to stick with the 30-year-old regardless of the results.

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Todd McLellan shouldered much of the blame for the Edmonton Oilers' ugly 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night.

The Oilers fell behind just 3:13 into the game and trailed by two before it was eight minutes old.

"That game is indefensible on my behalf," McLellan said. "In every facet of the game we were second, it wasn't even close. Very, very concerned obviously the way some individuals played tonight, many of them and it's indefensible on my behalf. We're responsible for having the team ready and they weren't."

Of course the team's worst loss of the season also had players singing a somber tune, including forward Leon Draisaitl, who pointed the finger at the club's lack of secondary production.

"We can't rely on one line, one goaltender or one D pairing to bail us out every night, and that starts with me and other (top forwards)," Draisaitl said.

With the loss, the Oilers have pushed their losing streak to three games and now entertain the third-lowest point percentage in the league.

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Brayden Schenn is hitting all the right notes.

The St. Louis Blues forward is riding an eight-game point streak, which has caused him to rise to fourth in the NHL's scoring race. Only Steven Stamkos (35), Nikita Kucherov (33), and Johnny Gaudreau (31) have recorded more points than Schenn, who now sits at 30, albeit in two more games played than that trio.

A two-goal, two-assist performance Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers marked the second time Schenn has recorded four points in a single game during the streak, which dates back to St. Louis' second game of November.

Here's a look back at the damage done:

It certainly helps that Schenn is playing on a line that features Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, both of whom are also in the NHL's top 10 in terms of total points after dominating the Oilers.

But it's Schenn who has been the most proficient and prominent league-wide as of late, as his 19 points are most among all players since the streak began, four clear of Gaudreau.

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With a pair of goals in Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, it's officially time to acknowledge the emergence of Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks in the battle for the Calder Trophy.

Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes had staked his claim as the very early
Rookie of the Year favorite by jumping out to a sizable lead in the rookie scoring race.

Boeser's two markers pulled him level with Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders for second in rookie scoring, and to within a point of Keller, all while playing fewer games.

Boeser, who was drafted 23rd overall in 2015, made his NHL debut last season, recording four goals and an assist in five games. Add it all up, and he's been good for 13 goals and nine assists in 27 games, averaging almost a point per contest.

Rookie of the Year or not, the Canucks appear to have mined some gold with a late first round pick, which is always a bonus.

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The next family gathering should be interesting at the Benn home.

Two days prior to the American holiday, the Dallas Stars played host to the Montreal Canadiens, pitting brothers Jordie and Jamie Benn against one another.

As it happened, Jordie took an opportunity to check Jamie late in the first period, adding an extra shove for good measure.

The gloves could have been dropped at this point, but Alexander Radulov intervened before things got even more heated.

All this with the Benn's parents watching from the stands.

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The Montreal Canadiens will be without Shea Weber for Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars due to a lower-body injury.

It will be his second game missed in recent weeks.

The injury is even more noteworthy considering Montreal is set to visit Weber's old team - the Nashville Predators - on Wednesday.

Through 20 games, Weber has recorded four goals, nine assists and 60 shots while averaging 26:07 a night.

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