Fischler Report: Talkin' Hockey Age -- Karlsson, Bedard

They're Neither Too Young Nor Too Old; Neither Too Gray Nor Too Grassy Green

The questions -- my dear friends -- are twofold:

Is he too old to start a new career at age 33?

Is he too young to face endless media review at age 18?

Of course I'm talking about Pittsburgh's defenseman Erik (You'd Never Know He Played Back) Karlsson who merely is getting Fort Knox kind of moolah for helping the Fly-less Birds back into the playoffs.

They hope.

Ensconced in the just-opened NHL dungeon, the Pens are 3-5 with six points after eight games.

Karlsson has a goal and three assists in addition to a minus-1 rating.

No sweat; Erik The Great (maybe) has 74 games ahead to get over the minus mark. Calm down, Pittsburghers, for Karlsson it's just a walk in the meadow.

As for Chicago's miraculously lucky one, how about that Connor Bedard. You and Me should have a dollar for every interview the wunderkind already has knocked off since Chi signed him.

But The Maven will get to that in a trice.

Let's start with Erik, the Swift Swede and here's what veteran Steel City hockey beat man Vince Comunale thinks about him.

"The immediate joke," says Vince who has covered the Pens since Hector was a pup, "is that Pittsburgh will lead the league in shorthanded goals against!"

Then, a pause: "But the power play should be no worse than top-five in the NHL."

Over eight games, Mike Sullivan's sextet stood with the pack at 6 points. That's perfectly placed to move upward once Karlsson gets his radar in place and Geno Malkin gets out of the way of his slapshot.

An eight-game look at King Karl's plus-minus mark is enough to make a Pitt fan do handsprings of joy. Hey, it could have been worse, right? Darn right because his p-m has plummeted in the past.

Comunale: "The poise with which he carries the puck was anticipated but the calmness with which he plays situations such as odd man breaks, poke checks and even throwing an occasional hit was not anticipated."

What The Maven didn't expect is for an 18 year old to handle the media like a veteran juggler tossing six Indian head clubs in the air and handling each one with a 30-year-olds aplomb.

"I thought all the media stuff and other promotions might be a bit much for the kid," said veteran teammate Taylor Hall, "but he seems to be okay."

With all the fuss and fanfare, Bedard -- as of Saturday morning -- had been holding his own against the Big Guys. In the Friday night victory over Vegas, the defending Champions were handed their first loss of the season

After being down 2-0 and then 2-1, Bedard tied the count at 2-2. That was the springboard for their eventual Chi triumph.

One NHL scout puts it this way: "It'll take a quarter of the season before we'll see the true impact of Karlsson on the Penguins and Bedard with Chicago. Each one -- in his own particular way -- still has to get acclimated to new teammates and coaching styles."

Okay! Okay!! The Maven will make it easy for everyone.

1. Karlsson eventually will enjoy a super season but goaltending -- again! -- will torpedo the Penguins.

2. Bedard is the new McDavid. He'll win the Calder -- that's too easy! -- AND will spur a surprising playoff push in the season's second half.

* It seems too early for Boston's Jim Montgomery to be a Jack Adams Trophy-winner, doesn't it?

* But look at what Joltin' Jim has done without Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Taylor Hall.

* New York vs. New York; That's how I see the Vezina race between Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin.

* Remember the old "Which Came First? The Chicken Or The Egg" gag?

* In Edmonton's case, the answer now is that Connor McDavid is so much MVP to the Oilers, Leon (The Lion) barely is visible in relation even to an injured McD.

* The successful Heritage Classic is proof positive that Bettman, Inc. knows what it's doing.

* Every time I think about it, I'm more and more impressed about one move above all that Tom Fitz did in New Jersey.

* Signing center Eric Haula.

* Now that the NHL season is well underway, more than 230 NCAA alumni have been listed on big-league rosters.

* Michigan leads with 25, and Minnesota is runner-up at 21

* Ed Sandford was a fixture at Boston Garden both as a very successful Bruin and later as a member of the off-ice officials crew.

* Easy Ed also was one of the nicest people in the world

* Sandford's passing at age 95 is mourned far and wide in the hockey world.

* I loved that man with the perpetual smile on his face. Loved him also skating alongside Fleming Mackell.

* Memo to New Jersey Devils: You guys are so enamored with your scoring and skating ability that you're forgetting to play defense.

* One scout's observation: "They are as sloppy as they are skilled. Hopefully, they'll figure that out!"

* Yay! To The Oilers, who soon will honor defenseman Charlie Huddy -- a quiet ace during the Gretzky Years.

* Huddy would cover for fleet Paul Coffey when The Espresso Man was leading his Edmonton Expeditionary Force into foreign ice.

* Dumbest move Chris Drury could make would be signing Patrick Kane.

* Now that the Blueshirts' offense is in gear, the Rangers need Kane like a moose needs a hat track!

* The Flyers were picked to finish somewhere below The Liberty Bell.

* That doesn't fit John Tortorella's constitution. Result: Take Philly as seriously as a Torts' glare.

* Every pre-season, Jake (The Rake) Markstrom is forecast to do wonderful things. My reaction: It must have been two other guys.

* It took Hall of Famers Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur three years to find their proper gear,

* So why not Noah Dobson of the Isles and Al Lafreniere of the Rangers?

* Hard To Believe Department. Lane Lambert and Steve Yzerman were teammates in Detroit.

* I expect Patrice Bergeron to rejoin the Bruins after the new year.

* A little chump change always helps.

* There was a question last summer about whether the Islanders should drop Semyon Varlamov and import a younger backup goalie.

" Lou Lamoriello said, "Nix to that!" and returned with Varly.

* On Saturday night at Columbus, the Russian goalie underlined the point, beating the BJ's with a 35-save shutout.

* No question about New Jersey having the goods, but do the Devils have the grit and girth to go with it?

* Fans of Lindy Ruff's skaters would like to see more beef -- as in an ice cop.

* A scout noted: "This is not a rumor but an observation: Nico Hischier is being targeted. It's Old School stuff -- Go after the team's best playmaker."

* Prescription: Find a reasonable facsimile of Washington's Tom Wilson.

* Denis Potvin, who just turned 70, celebrated his birthday with another ex-Islander D-man, Gary Nylund.

* Ny wasn't around Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum as long as NY Nystrom, but during his tenure, Gary won a ton of fans.

* Me, especially!