Remembering the best seasons by a player who was traded midway through

With just one week left before the deadline, let’s kill some time on a Friday with a trade-themed question.

What are the best statistical seasons a player has ever had while being dealt during that same season?

It’s a tricker question than you might think. We’re used to seeing big names get moved at the deadline, but those stars aren’t typically having career years. After all, a player in the midst of a monster season wouldn’t typically be available – for all the talk this time of year about selling high, teams rarely seem to do that.

So today’s post will be a mix of familiar names you might expect, and a few you might not. And of course, any talk of the best statistical season hinges on which stat you’re looking at. Let’s start with the big one.

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Should your team make a big bold move at the deadline? Yes, and here's why

The trade deadline is just over a week away. Is your team going to make a blockbuster move?

No, because this is the NHL, where all the GMs are whiny babies and making trades is too hard. There will be trades over the next few days, maybe even lots of them. But they’ll be by-the-numbers stuff, a pick here for a rental there, not anything big and bold. Given the extremely middling talent expected to be available, that’s all anyone can do. Your team will play it safe.

But should they? That’s a different question. And for just about every team in the league, we could at least make the case that they should be aiming much higher than they inevitably will.

So that’s what we’ll do today. Every team gets the cursory nod towards why they won’t make a blockbuster, and then a longer section on on why they should. Is that fair? No, because we’re putting a thumb on the scale here, because trades are fun and we want all of the (many) NHL GMs who read my column to get to work. Here we go...

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NHL weekend rankings: Closing the book on a memorable 4 Nations Face-Off

We’re back, because the NHL regular season is back. Not very much of it, though, with only two days’ worth of games to go on for this week’s rankings. In other words, don’t expect many big changes from a few weeks ago.

Don’t expect a ton of deep dives on those games either, because I’ll be honest, it was a little tough to get hyped for matchups like Ducks/Bruins and Sharks/Flames after eight days of high-stakes best-on-best. Just a slight downshift in intensity, you might say. So sure, we’ll talk NHL where we need to. But we’re also going to get in one last round of 4 Nations talk, starting right now.

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Five reasons Team Canada will definitely beat Team USA tonight (and vice versa)

It’s Canada vs. the USA tonight, and it’s fair to say everyone is just a little bit dialed up.

On one hand, that’s great – hockey rules when it’s played with real stakes, and it’s been a long time since a game has felt this important. But more crucially, this makes life tough for me, a hockey writer who just wants to write a simple preview without getting yelled at. Do I know who’s going to win tonight? Yes, of course I do, but I also know that half of you aren’t going to like the answer.

So here’s the deal: I’ve got five reasons why Team Canada is definitely winning, and five more why Team USA is the obvious pick. You decide which ones you want to read. The only rule is that you’re not allowed to read both, because doing that is illegal and your continued scrolling of this article signifies your acceptance of the terms and conditions.

Agreed? Cool, let’s do this.

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Is Kyle Connor McDavid the best same-name combo player in NHL history?

We’re one day away from the biggest international showdown in 15 years, with Team USA hosting Team Canada in a grudge match that will feature all sorts of bad blood both on and off the ice.

And I’m going to be honest: My tummy hurts.

I know you're probably here looking for some sort of preview, or maybe historical context. I can’t do it. Not today. Right now, I could use a distraction.

So instead, we’re going to get dumb today. Call it a palette-cleanser. This is an idea I’ve had on my “too dumb to actually do” list – yes, of course that list exists, don’t act like you’re remotely surprised – for a while now, but it popped into my head again this week while watching Team USA.

That team has a pair of Connors… sort of. They’ve got Kyle Connor on the first line, and Connor Hellebuyck is goal. That had me wondering if Kyle Connor Hellebuyck would be the best combined name in international hockey history. And if we reach over to Team Canada, would Kyle Connor McDavid be the best offensive combo?

I have no idea, so I’m going to waste some of your valuable time figuring it out.

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