from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- What Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have combined for over a two-year period with the Edmonton Oilers is remarkably rare and historically improbable.

Last year, Draisaitl won the NHL scoring title and the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. McDavid finished second in scoring.

This season, McDavid is on his way to the breathtaking figure of 100 points or more in 56 games and will be the runaway winner of the Hart. Draisaitl, meanwhile, will finish second in the NHL in scoring.

At no time in NHL history have teammates gone 1-2, 2-1 in scoring, rotating the Hart Trophy in the process. Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito came close with the Boston Bruins in the late 1970s, but timing and voting didn’t necessarily work in their favour....

- What McDavid, Matthews and Marner have yet to accomplish — a playoff run of any kind with dominant scoring by them. McDavid has one career playoff series win. Matthews and Marner don’t have that much. And, really, one of the Oilers or Leafs should emerge from the Canadian division. And after that, who knows? What if you draw Colorado, which just went seven games with Vegas? Or what if you draw Washington, which somehow got through Boston and Pittsburgh? It’s impossible to figure in COVID times which teams are going to be whole and which will be struggling come playoff time.

- You don’t fire exceptional people; you’re lucky to have them. You don’t fire John Davidson. That’s just pointless. If a general manager adds Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, K’Andre Miller to his lineup in a relatively short time, he shouldn’t get fired the way Jeff Gorton was. He should get a raise.

- Turner Sports thinks it might be able to turn Wayne Gretzky into the Charles Barkley of hockey, which is admirable. I like Gretzky and have known him forever, but I don’t see him being Barkley outrageous. Thoughtful yes. Reasoned yes. Outrageous no. Chris Pronger, might be able to do that. Brett Hull, possibly. Glenn Healy, if you can explain who he is.

more on the first topic plus more notes...