Peter Chiarelli came to Edmonton with a remedy for the Oilers' decade-old ills, soon decided who should and wouldn't be here to administer it, and finds himself 31 games away from playoff life.
It's amazing, really.
Last February, about a week before the National Hockey League trade deadline, the Oilers' still reasonably newish general manager made it clear he wanted a bigger, heavier team. He liked the skill level, but knew from experience in Boston that it cried out for augmentation. He also told reporters he would get the players necessary to put flesh on the bones of his roster, and he surely knew it to be possible or even probable, such was the sense of calm and confidence he exuded.