The Edmonton Oilers were 3-9-1 on Nov. 12 when they let head coach Jay Woodcroft go, well out of a playoff spot and dangerously close to the point of no return. Since then, they've gone 30-11-1 under the stewardship of Kris Knoblauch, and they now find themselves 14 points back of first in the NHL with five games in hand on the leading Vancouver Canucks.

Thing is, you're never really out of it when you have Connor McDavid on your roster, and you're almost always a contender. At last year's deadline, the Oilers acted accordingly, taking a home run cut to address the most significant deficiency in their lineup and connecting on Mattias Ekholm. This year, they presumably have their sights set on a goalie, though they've been linked to just about every big name on the market, whether it's Jake