The Edmonton Oilers entered the 2017-18 season as Stanley Cup contenders. Twenty-one games into their schedule, they’re seven points out of a playoff spot but just three out of dead last in the NHL.

Todd Babiak is a novelist and former Edmonton Journal columnist. His next novel, set in an Edmonton-esque city, The Meditations of Waylon Gans, will be published by McClelland & Stewart.

Todd McLellan’s new assistants excel in areas Edmonton needs to improve Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli identifies a few things that led to the disappointing 2017-18 season, as everyone in the ...