With the Edmonton Oilers mired in a five-game losing skid in late-December that threatened to derail their playoff hopes, general manager Peter Chiarelli wasted little time swinging deals following the lifting of the holiday trade freeze on Dec. 28.
On Dec. 30, Chiarelli shipped defenseman Chris Wideman and a 2019 third-round pick to the Florida Panthers for blueliner Alex Petrovic. He subsequently traded winger Drake Caggiula and rearguard Jason Garrison to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Brandon Manning and minor-leaguer Robin Norrell.
Chiarelli defended the moves as necessary to provide some depth to his injury-ravaged defense corps.