Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."

Four weeks remain in the NHL schedule. Marking an incredible comeback from a year ago, all clubs north of the border have a chance at a playoff spot after Canada was shut out from postseason play in 2016.

Look for these seven players to be the biggest contributors for their clubs with the playoffs on the line:

Calgary Flames

The Flames are hot, winning seven in a row, with a chance to push that streak to eight straight victories when they face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Over that stretch, Calgary's top player has been speedy forward Johnny Gaudreau, putting up nine points in seven games. Since Dec. 1, Gaudreau's points per game has climbed to 0.85 after struggling to 0.65 through the season's first two months.

A playoff date for the Flames would mark their second postseason appearance in the past three years, and just their third since 2009.

Edmonton Oilers

No goaltender has seen a heavier workload this season than Oilers netminder Cam Talbot, already with 58 games under his belt. The 29-year-old is on pace for 73 contests this season, after setting his previous high-water mark a year ago, at 56 games.

Poor showings from Edmonton's second stringers - the club has already shuffled out Jonas Gustavsson for Laurent Brossoit - has left Oilers bench boss Todd McLellan little choice other than to regularly call on Talbot.

Edmonton has missed the playoffs 10 straight seasons, last showing up in the postseason in 2006 following a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers hope Talbot holds up while the club locks down its first playoff match in over a decade.

Montreal Canadiens

Every club has an MVP, but no player is more important to his squad than Canadiens goaltender Carey Price.

After missing all but 12 games last season following a devastating knee injury, Price has returned to Montreal's crease and hasn't missed a beat. The 2015 Vezina winner holds down a 29-16-5 record this season, while his .922 save rate ranks second among netminders with as many starts.

For the Canadiens to make any noise in the playoffs, they'll need to rely on Price. It's evident the club isn't the same without their franchise netminder. Price caught a cold streak coming out of the bye week, while the Canadiens picked up just three points in seven games.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators aren't known for their offense - with just 170 goals on the season, Ottawa ranks 19th league-wide.

Ottawa has relied on a scoring by committee approach this season under new coach Guy Boucher. Three forwards have reached both 20 goals and 40 points, with winger Mark Stone topping the list. The 24-year-old has struggled since returning from a neck injury, putting up just two assists in five games, and the Senators will need Stone to return to form in order to do damage in the spring.

The Senators have flown under the radar for much of the season, but thanks to some key performances, the club is a good bet to return to the postseason after missing out a year ago.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The young Maple Leafs hit a wall coming out of the All-Star break, following up the Jan. 29 weekend with a 5-7-5 showing.

Part of that recent sagging performance coincided with the loss of rookie Mitch Marner, out five games with an upper-body injury. Marner is one of a trio of key rookies making names for themselves in Toronto this season, alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Toronto sits one point back of the New York Islanders for the last playoff spot in the East. A postseason appearance would be the Maple Leafs' first since 2013, and a chance to win their first playoff series since 2004.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver has the tallest task in locking down a playoff position, sitting six points back of the St. Louis Blues for the second wild-card seed in the West. Couple that with the fact the team sold off pieces at the recent trade deadline, and the Canucks have their work cut out of for them.

In the meantime, no doubt the Canucks would like to see some more noise from their big-ticket free agency addition, veteran winger Loui Eriksson. The Swedish-born forward was injured Sunday versus the Anaheim Ducks, but is not expected to miss much time.

Eriksson has accounted for 11 goals and 13 assists with the Canucks this season. He was added in the offseason, given his chemistry with countrymen Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The 31-year-old is signed through the 2021-22 season.

Winnipeg Jets

No freshman has been as electrifying this season as Jets winger Patrik Laine. The Finnish forward leads all rookies in goals with 32 and in points at 59. He's averaged a point-per-game pace this season, appearing in 59 contests.

As for the Jets, the team has rebounded in recent weeks to put itself back in the playoff picture, with just two regulation-time losses in their past nine outings (5-2-2). Winnipeg is now just three points back of the Blues for the West's final playoff seed.

Since uprooting from Atlanta in 2011, the Jets have a single playoff appearance, falling in a 4-0 sweep to the Ducks in 2015. Laine and the Jets have a chance to find some playoff success this spring.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Jaromir Jagr has played with hundreds of teammates over his 22-year career. He's about to have one more in Thomas Vanek.

The Detroit Red Wings dealt Vanek to the Panthers prior to Wednesday's trade deadline, receiving a third-round pick for the veteran winger who's clearly pumped to join a legend in Florida.

"To be on a team with (Jaromir Jagr) will be amazing," Vanek told Sportsnet, as reported by George Richards of the Miami Herald. "To be on the same team with him will be fun."

With 158 goals this season, Florida ranks in the league's bottom third in offense, so Vanek's acquisition makes sense. The streaky scorer had enjoyed a rebound season with the Red Wings - ranking second on the team with 38 points before the trade - after having his contract bought out by the Minnesota Wild last offseason.

Vanek hopes to carry forward his rediscovered scoring flair when he arrives in Florida. He'll have the chance to do so alongside one of the greatest scorers of all-time.

The Panthers next game comes Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, but there's no confirmation on whether Vanek will be in the lineup. He's traveling from Vancouver after the Red Wings faced the Canucks on Tuesday.

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Crickets in Montreal.

The trade deadline came and went with little action from the Canadiens, who only played small ball on the day of wheeling and dealing.

Montreal added bottom-six winger Dwight King from Los Angeles, while also exchanging minor leaguers with the Colorado Avalanche, sending Sven Andrighetto to Denver for bulky winger Andreas Martinsen.

That came after the Canadiens dealt forward David Desharnais to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday in return for blue-liner Brandon Davidson. Hours later, they filled that vacancy up front by acquiring checking center Steve Ott from the Detroit Red Wings - a better fit in that role than Desharnais.

Davidson in particular was a curious addition, with Montreal already overflowing with low-tier defensemen - namely Nathan Beaulieu, in the midst of a breakout season, plus Nikita Nesterov and Jordie Benn, both recently brought in from the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars, respectively.

In all, the deadline passed with the Canadiens failing to address the bigger issues that have hampered them in recent weeks, as they've thrown away their 13-1-1 start to the season.

Talk that Montreal could bring in a big center to stabilize its middle ice - such as Colorado's Matt Duchene or Martin Hanzal, dealt from the Arizona Coyotes to the Minnesota Wild - ultimately ended as just talk.

Meanwhile, the biggest change seemingly came earlier this season when the Canadiens installed Claude Julien as their new coach. But his hiring hasn't fixed all that ails them.

Montreal wrapped up February with just five wins, with none coming in regulation - futility the club hasn't matched since 1940.

The team's scoring woes are certainly responsible for its sagging record. The Canadiens were shut out four times in February, and limited to a single tally on three other occasions.

It's no secret that Montreal is sliding, and the one-time favorite to win the Atlantic is now fighting for its playoff life. The Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs have all made up significant ground, as the Canadiens now sit just nine points ahead of the East's final playoff spot.

With 18 games remaining, the Canadiens will need to buildfrom within to right their soon-to-be-lost season, doing so without any difference-makers brought in for a boost.

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The winners and losers of the trade deadline aren't truly known until the Stanley Cup is raised in June. Sometimes they can't be determined until years down the line, once acquired draft picks have a name to their number.

But that doesn't mean we can't grade the top trades in the here and now. With that in mind, here are report cards for five of Wednesday's biggest deals:

Thomas Vanek

The Detroit Red Wings began selling early, moving defenseman Brendan Smith to the New York Rangers on Tuesday. A day later, they sent Vanek to the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers looked to add offense in Vanek, a pending unrestricted free agent. While he could re-sign with the Red Wings in the summer, his 38 points bring Florida some extra scoring punch in the interim. Vanek came at a relatively cheap price, as the Panthers parted with a third-rounder.

Detroit's grade: C

Florida's grade: B

Jarome Iginla

Iginla will get a shot at his first Stanley Cup following a trade to the Los Angeles Kings. The 39-year-old escapes the last-place Colorado Avalanche and believes the Kings are a contender to win their third championship since 2012. But first, the Kings must lock down a playoff spot.

Los Angeles sits one point outside of the postseason, largely due to the team's inability to score. That makes acquiring Iginla and his eight goals a curious move. Still, the Kings got the veteran winger on the cheap for a conditional pick, while Colorado did Iginla a solid by picking up half of his contract.

Colorado's grade: C

Los Angeles' grade: C

Curtis Lazar

Lazar's wish for a fresh start was granted by the Calgary Flames, who traded the Ottawa Senators a second-rounder for him. The former first-round pick has had a disastrous season in the Canadian capital, registering just one point.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving believes Lazar is a good match with his team's young core. Alberta is familiar territory for Lazar, who spent his junior years with the Edmonton Oil Kings and led the squad to the Memorial Cup in 2014.

Ottawa's grade: A

Calgary's grade: D

Mark Streit (to Penguins)

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed out on Kevin Shattenkirk and, left to explore other options for a puck-moving defender, ultimately landed on Streit. The defending champions swooped in to add him from the Tampa Bay Lightning after he was first acquired from the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Streit is a savvy pickup for the Penguins, as the 39-year-old blue-liner is still performing at a high level, with 21 points on the season. Pittsburgh parted with a fourth-round pick in 2018 to bring in Streit.

Tampa Bay's grade: A

Pittsburgh's grade: B

Valtteri Filppula

After reportedly turning down a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Filppula agreed to a move to the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal that brought Streit to Tampa Bay, only for the club to flip him to the Penguins moments later.

The move continued a sell-off for the Lightning, who already moved out netminder Ben Bishop and center Brian Boyle. Shedding Filppula's contract lessens the expansion-draft headache for GM Steve Yzerman, who would have been required to protect Filppula and his no-trade clause from the Vegas Golden Knights.

Tampa Bay's grade: C

Philadelphia's grade: B

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Jarome Iginla bet on Los Angeles.

Following a deadline deal Wednesday, the veteran forward is heading to the Kings with winning on his mind.

Iginla, 39, was in the final year of his contract with the struggling Colorado Avalanche, while the move to Los Angeles could offer him a shot at his first Stanley Cup.

Asked if he views the Kings as a contender to win it all, Iginla told Yahoo's Josh Cooper: "I really believe that."

The Kings won their first Stanley Cup in 2012 and repeated the feat two years later. This season, Los Angeles sits one point outside the playoff picture, chasing the St. Louis Blues for the last wild-card position.

The trade to Los Angeles reunites Iginla with coach Darryl Sutter, who was behind the bench for part of Iginla's time with the Calgary Flames. Iginla captained the Flames from 2003-13, before accepting a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2013 deadline.

That attempt didn't end with the silver mug, nor did Iginla's next stints with the Boston Bruins and Avalanche. But he likes his odds in Los Angeles.

"I remember (Drew) Doughty after he won his last (Cup) saying how hungry he was for another one," Iginla told Jon Rosen.

Now moving to his fifth NHL club, not only will Iginla don a different look - he'll also switch away from his iconic No. 12. That number is owned by the Kings' Marian Gaborik, and Iginla has no plans to ask the veteran to put it up for grabs.

It was a relatively busy deadline for the Kings, who made another big-ticket move earlier this week in adding goaltender Ben Bishop from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Kings hope Iginla, who's recorded 18 points this season, will give them an added boost for their playoff push.

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No sale.

The Colorado Avalanche elected to hold on to both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog as time expired on Wednesday's trade deadline.

Rumors circled the two forwards in recent months, while reports indicated Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic had set the bar high to make a deal work. Colorado was believed to be seeking at least three or four high-end assets in exchange for either player.

Related: Melnyk stunned by asking price for Colorado's Duchene

That price tag was evidently too steep for rival GMs, who passed on Duchene and Landeskog despite both players holding multi-year contracts - not pure rentals like the bulk of players moved at the deadline.

"I don't have to make any major moves," Sakic told Brian Compton of NHL.com. "I wasn't out there throwing names around. I don't do that."

But that doesn't mean the Avalanche can't revisit the possibility of dealing one or both players in the offseason, particularly during the entry draft, which has become a hotbed for transactions in recent seasons.

The Avalanche's season has been effectively over for months, with the team mired at the bottom of the standings. Colorado owns an NHL-worst record, with just 17 wins in 61 games and sits 14 points back of the next-lowest club.

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Don't underestimate the value of depth between the pipes.

After the Boston Bruins dismissed coach Claude Julien earlier this month, general manager Don Sweeney acknowledged his own failure to equip his club with proper depth in goal, a factor that led to too many lost nights under Julien.

This season, after franchise netminder Tuukka Rask, the Bruins have run through a slew of net options. A combination of second stringers have chipped in on crease time but have come away with a collective five wins.

"We've seen teams with 1A and 1B (goaltending) that have really hung around - even though they have had other injuries - because of it," Sweeney told Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe. "We've had a tough time with that this year. No question about it."

Sitting two points outside of a playoff position, Sweeney notes his club could pursue netminding insurance prior to the March 1 trade deadline.

"It's tough to find at this time, but they exist," Sweeney added. "But it's just a matter of teams are like, 'Well, what are you giving up for it?' That's a big part of it."

After waiving Anton Khudobin in January, he has since returned to the Bruins following a short stint in the AHL. Khudobin won his last outing, a 4-3 result over the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 11. The veteran goalie is signed through the 2017-18 campaign.

If Sweeney elects to go shopping ahead of the deadline, among the more affordable options who could be available include Philadelphia Flyers netminder Michal Neuvirth and Anders Nilsson of the Buffalo Sabres.

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He would know.

Few have done better behind the Montreal bench than the legendary Scotty Bowman, who coached the Canadiens to five Stanley Cup championships, including four straight from 1976-79.

As Bowman sees it, new coach Claude Julien has the track record to push the the team back into the winner's circle. He won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, while the Canadiens haven't captured Lord Stanley since 1993 - the longest championship drought in franchise history.

"Claude did a good job with the Canadiens when he began his career, and he did a good job in New Jersey and won a Stanley Cup in Boston," Bowman told Dave Stubbs of NHL.com. "He knows the city and the expectations. He's a good coach. You don't coach 10 years with one team and win a Stanley Cup unless you can do the job."

Despite coaching the team for just 634 games, Bowman racked up 419 wins in Montreal, ranking him third in franchise history:

Currently a senior advisor with the Chicago Blackhawks, where Bowman has since won another three Stanley Cups, it's no doubt he understands how to win. His 1,244 victories are the most in NHL history, more than 400 ahead of second-place Joel Quenneville.

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The numbers don't lie.

Four coaches have gotten the axe since the calendar turned to 2017, with Michel Therrien the latest victim. But you can't blame the general managers calling for change when the early returns have been this good:

The installation of Julien in Montreal is the fifth coaching change this season after moves were made behind the bench in Florida, Brooklyn, St. Louis, and Boston, the latter three coming in 2017.

So far, each team has experienced a quick turnaround, and Weight, Yeo, and Cassidy combined for a 16-4-2 showing in their first month behind the bench.

Canadiens fans hope Julien can do his part to add to that mark.

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Claude Julien hopes his second tour in Montreal lasts longer than his first.

The veteran bench boss called the shots for the Canadiens from 2002-06, a tenure that included one full season, two partial campaigns, and another lost to the 2004-05 lockout. This came after Julien spent part of three seasons as the head coach of the Canadiens' then-AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Promoted to the big club during for the final 36 games of the 2002-03 season, the Canadiens missed the playoffs in Julien's first year. However, they qualified for the postseason in the following campaign. Julien led his club to a 41-30-11 mark, good for 93 points and the Canadiens' best finish since 1993-94.

That squad was highlighted by the likes of rookie Michael Ryder, who finished his freshman campaign with 25 goals and 38 assists, and leaders like Saku Koivu and netminder Jose Theodore, stable pillars and veteran voices for the Canadiens.

In the playoffs, Montreal pushed past the Boston Bruins in an exciting seven-game series, sealing the closing contest with a 2-0 victory in Boston. But Montreal's playoff success was short-lived: The Canadiens were swept aside by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the following round.

In the next season - Julien's final one in Montreal - he lasted until the midway mark with a 19-16-6 showing before then-general manager Bob Gainey made a change to his coaching ranks.

Eleven years later, Julien gets the opportunity to build on his record with the Canadiens, which sits at 72-62-25 and ranks 15th all time in franchise history.

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