Dan’s Daily Links: Karlsson-Lightning, Hurricanes Trade Wind, and Shea Weber

The free agency intrigue may be over, but the other shoe for several teams could be about to drop. Chatter regarding an Erik Karlsson to Tampa Bay swap is intense. Tampa would likely need to part with mega-talented young defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who the acquired last summer in a deal with Montreal for forward Jonathan Drouin. The Hurricanes have set themselves up to begin wheeling and dealing and the Montreal Canadiens…just keep yanking the chain.

First up, the Karlsson to Tampa Bay Lightning situation (Ottawa Sun).

There has been plenty of reports the Penguins and Hurricanes have participated in trade negotiations. Winger Jeff Skinner has been the most frequently mentioned name. However, the Hurricanes also quietly made right-handed defenseman Justin Faulk available. *Ahem Pittsburgh. (The Hockey News).

The poor Montreal Canadiens fan base. Sure, they have 23 Stanley Cups but it’s been a barren winter since their last in 1993. GM Marc Bergevin is under increasing fire for his moves, lack of moves and salesmanship. Eric Engels at Sportsnet is the latest to grill the Habs frontman (Sportsnet).

Also, top Canadiens defender Shea Weber needs surgery and is out until December. The Hockey News writes–tank! American born center Jack Hughes is the golden price in 2019 (The Hockey News).

The Detroit Red Wings signed Andreas Athanasiou to a two-year deal (Detroit Free Press).

And, the Blue Jackets signed Anthony DucLair to a one-year, one-way deal. The guess from this keyboard is the one-way deal stipulation scared off a lot of teams, including the Penguins (The Cannon).