Double Shifted

IMPORTANT DECISIONS LAY AHEAD FOR DOUG WILSON AND THE SAN JOSE SHARKS The Sharks made waves last offseason, first pursuing top free agent John Tavares, and following him signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they went out and traded for superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson. Now, Karlsson received a monster 8-year, 11.5 million extension, leaving the Sharks with just $14 million in cap space and free agents such as Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Kevin LaBanc, Gustav Nyquist, Timo Meier, and Joonas Donskoi all needing new deals. Extensions given out to players like Logan Couture, Evander Kane, and Brent Burns needed to be given out, but it leaves the Sharks in a rough position. If I’m Sharks GM Doug Wilson, I’m happy with what I’ve done. It’s all but official that captain Joe Pavelski won’t be a Shark anymore. It’s a sad story after all Pavelski has done for the franchise, and the fan favorite will be missed in San Jose, but it’s time to move on. The Sharks can not afford a long term, e...

RETURN OF THE BREAD MAN-WHY AN ARTEM ANISIMOV TRADE MAKES SENSE FOR THE BLACKHAWKS Artem Anisimov celebrates in a game against the Ottawa Senators Artem Anisimov seemed like a great fit, playing alongside Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin on the best line the Blackhawks have had in a while. He tallied a career-high 45 points in 64 games during the 2016-17 season. Then, the Blackhawks traded Panarin for Brandon Saad in an attempt to shake up the roster after being swept in the 2017 playoffs. Kane saw a decline in points the following year but bounced back this year, scoring a career-high 110 points. Unfortunately, Anisimov couldn't say the same. He was moved down to a bottom-six role with the emergence of Dylan Strome, who had instant chemistry with old juniors teammate Alex DeBrincat. After Strome, who had never reached double-digits in points with the Arizona Coyotes, was traded to Chicago, he had 51 points in 58 games. He looks like a formidable second-line center, and with...