Nothing Compares 2 Trades

It's been seven hours and 15 days......well, no. If we're being technical (we're not) it has been about nine days since the frenzy that is "trading season" opened. 

We were able to go out and eat our dinners in fancy restaurants (but not really because fuck you, Covid). But nothing, no nothing compares to trades. [before I go on with this article about hockey trades, let's not forget the time that Prince kidnapped Sinead O'Connor... https://people.com/music/sinead-oconnor-remembers-strange-night-prince/]

But princes aside, we're more interested in getting a king's ransom when it comes to the royal dance of trading. It's an art form really. And beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in saying that every team looks at making trades in a different way. For the new GMs of the league, it's about putting their fingerprints all over the roster and making the team their's. For others, it's the dreaded "rebuild". For a fortunate few, it means only a few tweaks to go from contender to champion. And others yet decry the whole process and don't make any trades at all. Blasphemous really. 

With the first two rounds of the RHL entry draft less than two weeks away (16 July), teams are trading draft picks with aplomb. Leading the way with 14 draft picks is St. Louis. That isn't a typo. 14. Go and look. Really, look at it even if you believe me. I'll wait for you. 14.
Only one draft pick behind the Blues are the Bruins who find themselves in possession of 13 picks. On the other end of the spectrum, the far far end, you have Dallas and Colorado with one pick each. The Avs' are lucky enough that their only pick is in the first round while the Stars aren't likely to hit a home run with a seventh rounder (or maybe they find themselves the reincarnation of Antti Miettinen if only so we can relive this... https://youtu.be/R4d1Bp7wzcw
 
Rather than analyzing every trade that has happened thus far in the offseason, instead we'll look at the numbers in a segment that I like to call "looking at the numbers". Catchy, right? (hey look, I wasn't lucky enough to have Prince write anything for me, ok!)
So without further ado.....

60 - number of trades that have taken place so far (NOTE: some trades are still pending)

17 - number of deals Arizona has been involved in. San Jose and Chicago are the next closest team with 11 moves each.

0 - amount of trades made by seven teams across the league (Carolina, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal, Ottawa, and Pittsburgh). Anaheim, Edmonton and Tampa Bay each have one trade under their belt

172 - players who have changed address during the trade period, some more than once. Alex Kerfoot (Toronto to San Jose to Arizona), Corey Perry (Tampa Bay to San Jose to Toronto) and Max Pacioretty (Chicago to Vegas to Columbus)

77 - draft picks involved in all trades. That includes: 9 x 1st round picks, 16 x 2nd, 18 x 3rd, 11  x 4th, 10 x 5th, 7 x 6th and 6 x 7th rounders.

Whether you love to make trades or you're an insane person who doesn't, the fact of the matter is we're inching ever closer to the start of the new season.
 And RHL hockey, it's been so lonely without you here. Nothing compares to that. 

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In celebration of the Kraken and in tribute to the late, great and Seattle's own...Chris Cornell

https://youtu.be/IuUDRU9-HRk