In the immortal words of Jesse Katsopolis, "Have mercy."

Connor McDavid showed off his midseason form in Wednesday's exhibition contest against the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring a pair of goals in a span of 92 seconds.

The first came on a breakaway.

The Edmonton Oilers captain then pulled off a bit of even greater magic.

The fans in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, got their money's worth with these two beauties.

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Thank goodness these games don't count.

The Montreal Canadiens lost 4-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Quebec City on Wednesday, dropping their preseason record to 0-6. But as far as head coach Claude Julien is concerned, it's not time to panic quite yet.

"There is frustration at not winning, but the thing I have to remember is look at the bigger picture," Julien said, per Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. "The core group that we are counting on have been pretty good. But we're just as disappointed (losing), even though it doesn't count."

Related - Watch: Canadiens' Drouin goes backhand shelf on Leafs

As a reminder, the Colorado Avalanche went undefeated during last year's exhibition round - and subsequently finished dead last in the final standings.

Montreal kicks off its regular-season slate Oct. 5 in Buffalo.

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If an NHL player wants to make a statement during the playing of the national anthem, he will have the full backing of his union bosses.

"We believe each player may choose to speak out or engage in peaceful protest on matters that are important to him," NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr wrote in a memo sent to players Wednesday. "A player is entitled to his own views on political and social issues, and the right of each player to express such views deserves respect."

A handful of players have spoken out on the topic in recent days, including Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban, Philadelphia Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds, and San Jose Sharks forward Joel Ward, who didn't rule out the possibility of kneeling during the national anthem.

"Should a player decide to make such a peaceful protest, he would of course have the full support of the NHLPA in regard to his right to do so," Fehr added.

Fehr's comments come two days after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman noted he respects players' choices, but reasoned that fans are not interested in watching "an evening of politics."

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This is why the Montreal Canadiens traded for Jonathan Drouin.

An ability to break a game open with speed and skill, that is, which was all on full display as Drouin made good on this breakaway opportunity against Curtis McElhinney and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The goal was Drouin's first of the preseason, and was scored in front of a Habs-heavy crowd in Quebec City.

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The St. Louis Blues received devastating news Wednesday when they learned young forward Robby Fabbri will miss the entire year after he injured the same knee which he had surgically repaired this offseason.

It's a big blow to a St. Louis squad which has already lost forward Alex Steen and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to short-term injuries, in addition to center Patrik Berglund, who will be out of the lineup until December.

A long list of key injuries could leave Blues general manager Doug Armstrong little choice but to explore the market in order to help his ailing club. With that in mind, here are three options he should consider:

Run with a rookie

Before looking elsewhere, the easiest and cheapest option for St. Louis is to promote from within. The team already has little cap space to work with - about $2.2 million, according to CapFriendly - and moving Fabbri's entry-level deal to the long-term injured reserve doesn't free up much more wiggle room.

As training camp cuts loom, several young forwards have put on a show to make final decisions difficult for Blues' management. Center Ivan Barbashev is among those who have impressed in exhibition action, as he's picked up three points in four contests. The Russian forward was selected 12 picks after Fabbri in 2014.

Also intriguing is Klim Kostin, added this year with the draft pick acquired for Ryan Reaves, as he's scored two goals in four games.

Make a deal for Duchene

Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic has been patient in finding the right return for center Matt Duchene, and an opportunity may have fallen into his lap with the Blues.

The Avalanche have insisted on getting an up-and-coming blue-liner in return, and St. Louis may have the perfect center piece of a deal in Vince Dunn. The 20-year-old defenseman is among the 32 players remaining at Blues' camp and looks poised to push for a spot after he posted 45 points in the AHL last season. Could the Blues package Dunn plus a high-end pick (and a contract, for salary cap considerations) to get a deal done?

Duchene's addition would also shore up the Blues in the middle of the ice. The team rolled the dice on newly-acquired Brayden Schenn, with the plan to use him as a center despite him seeing more time on the wing while with the Philadelphia Flyers. Alongside Paul Stastny, the pair make an interesting one-two punch, but adding Duchene further solidifies St. Louis at center.

Dive into free agency

The Blues can also try their luck in free agency to cover Fabbri's loss. While the options are limited, free agency brings the advantage that it only costs cash - no other assets required.

On one hand, St. Louis could be the next destination for the legendary Jaromir Jagr, who remains unsigned despite his pleas via social media.

But a more likely scenario could be veteran winger Jarome Iginla, also in the hunt for NHL work. After struggling with the Avalanche last season, Iginla looked rejuvenated through his short tenure with Los Angeles, as he recorded nine points in 19 games. Signing in St. Louis would also reunite Iginla with Armstrong, who was with the Dallas Stars when the team drafted him more than two decades ago.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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The Nashville Predators will stand together, choosing not to join fellow professional athletes in kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality.

This was affirmed Wednesday by defenseman P.K. Subban following a report from Yahoo Sports quoting him as saying he would "never" take a knee during the pre-game event.

"People are allowed to voice their opinion," Subban explained, per Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "People are allowed to do that. As far as what we’re doing in this locker room, that’s a consensus among our dressing room. If something changes for somebody, then that’s their right. But as a team, that’s what we’re going to do."

"You’ve seen other teams do different things, and that’s fine," he added. "At the end of the day, we’re all going to stand together as a team."

For his part, Subban - a Canadian whose parents immigrated to Canada from the Caribbean - wants to be known as one of the top players in a game wherein black players remain a minority.

"I realize that being a black hockey player, people are going to recognize that. That’s fine," Subban said. "But I want to be recognized as one of the best players in the league and the best player in the league. And that’s what I work for every day."

The Predators begin the regular season on Oct. 5 in Boston.

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The Dallas Stars sent R.J. Umberger on his way, but head coach Ken Hitchcock believes it's not the end of the road for the veteran forward.

Umberger was released from a professional tryout with the club on Wednesday, but Hitchcock - who coached him in both Philadelphia and Columbus - sees life in his game.

"Sometimes you know when a guy's done," Hitchcock said, per Scott Burnside of the team's website. "And he's not done."

"He looks like a guy who could have an impact in the National Hockey League," Hitchcock added.

Umberger was the victim of a numbers game in Dallas, where the Stars have enough contracts on the books and youngsters looking to make the jump to fill out a competitive roster. His stated goal was to leave everything on the table, and Hitchcock affirmed Umberger's impact both on and off the ice during training camp.

"He got better and better as the camp went along," Hitchcock said. "He had a major impact in the last game and it's based on his quickness.

"The big thing with him is the young guys loved him," Hitchcock said. "Even though they were competing against him, he was helping them. That's the thing they loved the most."

Umberger - who did not play at all last season - is left hoping a spot opens up somewhere else.

"Hopefully things sort themselves out in the next few days," he said. "I'm anxious to find out. I'll continue to stay in shape and be ready if something comes up."

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St. Louis Blues forward Robby Fabbri will miss the entire 2017-18 season after re-injuring his surgically repaired knee, the team announced Wednesday.

Fabbri originally suffered the injury last February and missed the remainder of the regular season and playoffs as he rehabbed from knee surgery. He was limited to 51 games last year, in which he netted 11 goals and 18 assists.

Fabbri's injury news is the latest hit to a Blues' squad which has already lost forward Alex Steen and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the injury bug.

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