We're now approaching mid-November. The team that you picked to win the Stanley Cup (and many of our experts, too) is buried at the bottom of the NHL sea, having just lost to what is widely considered the most toothless opponent in the NHL. Your fantasy team with one or more name-brand Oilers is underachieving. So what now?

As fun as it might be to laugh at the Oilers' plight, I give you the 2019 St. Louis Blues. There is still time to save the season, although that rescue effort will need to start quickly. Maybe it'll take a new coach to shake things up. Maybe it'll take a hot goalie from out of nowhere. Remember that the Blues needed both. The Pacific isn't an easy ocean with Vegas, Los Angeles, and Vancouver (PDO be damned) standing in the way. So maybe the goal for the Oilers is now a wild-card spot.  

Defending Rocket Richard Trophy winner Connor McDavid has just two goals all season. More recently, he has just one point in his last four games and no goals since returning from injury five games ago (and last seven games total). I really wonder if he returned too early from the upper-body injury just so he could play in the Heritage Classic, the Oilers' showcase game. At the time, the injury was expected to sideline him for 1-2 weeks, and he was out of action for barely a week.

Through all of this, McDavid is still a point-per-game player, and his track record proves that his season should get back on track. Yet he's the one player in the league where we can truthfully say point-per-game isn't nearly enough. You had 145 points (according to the Dobber projection) accounted for from that one player, and now that probably won't happen. McDavid was as of Friday tied in points with much less notable players like Brady Skjei, Evan Rodrigues, J.T. Compher, and James van Riemsdyk. That wasn't supposed to happen!

If McDavid truly has a clean bill of health (and we can't expect NHL teams to be that forthcoming about that kind of information), then maybe he's a buy low. Just keep in mind that he might be playing through an injury because the Oilers simply can't afford to have him out of the lineup while they desperately try to catch up to the rest of the league. But if the Oilers' season still hasn't hit complete rock bottom, then at some point McDavid could be shut down for a while.

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After a dreadful defensive performance on Wednesday, John Klingberg was out of the lineup on Friday with what was being described as an undisclosed injury. You can probably find descriptions and charts on Klingberg's defensive play elsewhere, but I'll just note that he is a minus player for the fifth consecutive season. His offense has also taken a hit recently with no points over his last seven games. If the scoring woes continue, then he may really be a healthy scratch at some point this season.

The Leafs had only one power play on Friday, with Morgan Rielly back in a familiar spot on the first unit in place of Klingberg. Rielly has heated up with four points in his last four games and six shots on Friday, so I wonder if he's back in that spot today (Saturday) against Vancouver.

William Nylander scored another two goals (one being the first shorthanded goal of his career) and added another assist with seven shots on goal. He has started the season with a 14-game point streak. Nylander is also now a top-5 league scorer (21 points in 14 games). He's also leading the NHL with 66 shots on goal, which means that his scoring won't fall off considerably as long as his shot numbers don't dip.  

The calls to drop Jonathan Huberdeau in fantasy leagues are getting louder and louder. I hate to hear it, since Huberdeau has been a solid mainstay on my keeper team for years. After his benching on Tuesday, Huberdeau returned to normal duty on Friday as expected. He recorded an assist in 19 minutes of icetime, which is something but not nearly enough to suggest that the slump is over.

Huberdeau has a grand total of three shots over his last four games, including just one on Friday. When you don't shoot, you don't score, and not surprisingly Huberdeau is without a goal over his last nine games. The season is hardly a writeoff, but he's currently on pace to finish below 55 points – the number that made last season a massive disappointment. With eight years and $10.5 million per left on the contract, Huberdeau isn't going anywhere. It's imperative that the Flames find a way to make it work.

One way for Flames fans to forget about Huberdeau is to think about Connor Zary. The rookie scored a goal on Friday, giving him points in all four of his NHL games. Zary has been on a scoring line with Nazem Kadri and Yegor Sharangovich, logging at least 18 minutes in back-to-back games. Given the way Flames youngsters haven't become permanent fixtures in the lineup the past couple seasons (Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier, Matthew Phillips), I'm not totally confident Zary will stay there for the rest of the season. But he could be worth taking a flier on in deeper leagues. For more on Zary, see his Dobber Prospects profile.

Nikita Zadorov has reportedly requested a trade. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a highlight of the night / trade request combination in one tweet, but here we are.

**Breaking News 🚨 📰**
Fresh off a goal and big hit tonight against the @MapleLeafs , I'm told that D Zadorov through his agent @GoldStarHockey Dan Milstein has requested a trade from the @NHLFlames . #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/TRZqwcgyd5

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) November 11, 2023

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Brett Pesce (lower body) returned to the Hurricanes' lineup on Friday, which meant that Tony DeAngelo was made a healthy scratch for the first time this season. DeAngelo is not easy to drop since he's on Carolina's top power play and his scoring isn't that bad (6 PTS in 13 GP), although it's below his normal pace. At least he is outscoring Brent Burns, although Burns brings a lot more to the table as a defender.

Speaking of Burns, he has been held without a point in his past eight games. It seems to be a number of things, including slightly reduced icetime and power-play time, a decrease of about half a shot per game, and a reduced shooting percentage. That could also be a nice way of saying he's being hit by the aging curve. Burns is now 38 years old, but he's been hanging in there with 774 consecutive games played, which leads all active players by a considerable margin.

Sam Reinhart has multiple points in three consecutive games. His eight games of at least two points is matched only by Artemi Panarin and Elias Pettersson.

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Vitek Vanecek was pulled on Friday after allowing two goals on five shots. That's his second consecutive really bad start, which raises his goals-against average to 3.45 and lowers his save percentage to .887. His win total (6 W in 10 GP) is propping up his fantasy value, as he would not be worth starting every game if he were playing for an inferior team. Akira Schmid has posted similar numbers, which is why he hasn't stolen Vanecek's starting job. The Devils' goaltending situation continues to be one to monitor.  

This is pretty ridiculous by TJ Oshie pic.twitter.com/XOy70Nwo7d

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 11, 2023

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a pair of goals on Friday, which were only his second and third of the season. His offensive numbers (7 PTS in 12 GP) haven't been outstanding, but one stat that stands out for Kuznetsov is icetime. Only McDavid is averaging more icetime per game than Kuznetsov (22:05). In addition, Kuznetsov has logged at least 21 minutes in each of his last nine games. That's a jump of four minutes per game from last year. This is likely an effect of not having longtime Capital Nicklas Backstrom in the lineup.

Alex Ovechkin is without a goal in his past six games and has just two goals all season. He's still averaging four shots per game, but at age 38 it's worth asking whether Ovechkin has finally lost something on his fastball. The goals will eventually start going in at a more frequent rate, but he'll be in tough to score 40 again. There's also the Gretzky goal record, which might be slipping away.  

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Jared Spurgeon made his season debut for the Wild on Friday, logging nearly 22 minutes. Despite Spurgeon's return, the Wild decided to send out a five-forward power play for the bulk of the minutes. Those five forwards were Marcus Johansson, Mats Zuccarello, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, and Kirill Kaprizov. After trading Calen Addison to San Jose earlier in the week, Dean Evason may not be sold on any of his current defensemen playing on the first unit.

After starting the season with just two points over his first seven games, JJ Peterka has eight points over his last seven games. His icetime is up about a minute per game, but he is also averaging nearly a shot more per game. He probably won't receive the top-line or first power-play minutes in Buffalo, but he might be a serviceable option in the right-sized league.

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Appearing on the Fantasy Hockey Life podcast last weekend, I mentioned Quinton Byfield as a possible waiver-wire add. Byfield has continued to be hot, currently riding a five-game point streak with eight points over that span. He's also been on what should be considered LA's top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Although he's not with the same pair on the power play, the Kings' power play seems to be fairly evenly divided among its top units.

Although it seems like development has been slow because he was drafted second overall back in 2020, Byfield is still only 21 years old, had played just over 100 career games, and is a larger (6-5, 225 lb.) forward. Although his curve might suggest a significant breakout will happen next season, you might not have to wait that long.

In a league where scoring defensemen can be hard to find, I was elated to find Jordan Spence available. I'd watched a couple Kings games this week and came away impressed with his game. Spence has also been finding his way onto the scoresheet with points in back-to-back games. Like Byfield, Spence is also on the Kings' second-unit power play, and he seemed right at home there. Journey writer Ben Gehrels has been singing the praises of Spence for a while, so I'd finally found a way to get on board. Hopefully Spence isn't squeezed off the power play completely once Brandt Clarke is NHL-ready.

Yes, I did notice that Spence was sent to the AHL on Friday. I'm not sure if that's a paper transaction, but maybe it has something to do with the Kings playing only two games next week.

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Trevor Zegras was out of the Ducks' lineup on Friday due to a nagging lower-body injury. This injury, combined with his late start due to his contract situation, seem to be contributing factors to his slow start (just 2 PTS in 12 GP). Zegras has been held without a point in his previous four games. With the Ducks enjoying a better-than-expected start, you'd think Zegras would be right in the mix among their top scorers, but that clearly hasn't been the case. He's worth another shot when he returns.

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Is Adin Hill receiving the credit he deserves? Hill recorded a 20-save shutout against the Sharks on Friday, which is his second shutout in his last three games and his fourth consecutive quality start. He's also among the league leaders in goals-against average and save percentage. For the most part, he's alternating starts with Logan Thompson, which might limit his win total a bit. The Golden Knights have picked up where they left off after winning the Stanley Cup, which means both Vegas goalies are must-starts.

Alex Pietrangelo scored a goal and added two assists on Friday. That gives him eight points over his last six games. He has also been shooting a lot recently with five shots in three of his past four games.

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In just his ninth career NHL game, 18-year-old Leo Carlsson already has his first career hat trick. The three goals doubles his goal total for the season from three to six. The icetime and the scoring might not be consistent, but the talent is already there. Hopefully this load management business with healthy scratches to help him learn and develop is a thing of the past. Tell me why I picked up Ryan Strome instead of Carlsson on Friday? Maybe because Carlsson is well hidden at just 8 percent rostered. That might not last, though.

FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK FOR LEO CARLSSON! 🧢 pic.twitter.com/nVgxNooaYX

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 11, 2023

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Today is November 11, which is Remembrance Day in Canada. Lest we forget those who have served our country.

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