Subban-for-Weber trade still looms large amid Canadiens' downward spiral

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, their recent slide only further underscores that they were the losers in the deal.

It hurt them in both the short and long term (have a look at their respective contracts for evidence of the latter), and it was 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 won't be on the ice Wednesday night, but the game will be compelling regardless. It will be a reminder that the Canadiens gave up on Subban, and that they're worse off in so doing.