from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

- Erik Karlsson leaves San Jose… for New York… and signs for less than Drew Doughty.

The assumption that deploying the twin right-shot, minute-munching threats of Brent Burns and Karlsson would forever keep the puck in the opponents’ zone and elevate a perennial playoff team to the most frightening team in the Pacific has fallen flat. Despite Doug Wilson’s all-in mentality over the summer, the Sharks are still a work-in-progress. There’s not enough puck to go around; the sum feels slightly less than the parts.

While we’d be floored to see Wilson give up on Karlsson before the 2019 trade deadline, we’d be even more shocked if he offered the impending UFA a contract rich enough to prevent EK65 from testing the open market....

- P.K. Subban will get traded (again).

At a highly unsanctioned gathering of hockey writers this July, everyone at the dinner table was pressed to announce their very early prediction for the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Mine was Tampa over Calgary, and I’m sticking with it. The Calgary half of my guess yielded some snickers because Nashville and Winnipeg were wiser (safer?) bets. But when the Preds and Jets wear each other down to pulp in a Central final rematch, the Flames will be the beneficiary.

Another stumble to represent the West in mid-June will propel a gunslinger like David Poile to shake things up before he starts paying Roman Josi (skating with a near-criminal $4-million cap hit ’til 2020) the salary he deserves.

Tell me I’m not the only one who finds it difficult to envision Subban, with his AAV of $9 million and recent injury woes, retiring in Nashville.

more on Karlssson plus 7 additional predictions...