One, Chris Mason, is stepping up to buy 10 season tickets to help keep the team in Nashville. Another, Paul Kariya, is likely departing for a franchise with more stability and, perhaps, a shot at the Cup next year.

Kariya, who turns 33 in October, isn’t getting any younger and has not yet won a championship, but Mason is right behind him at 31. Their circumstances are different because Mason is getting his first real shot at being a full-time NHL starter while Kariya is a perennial all-star, but this still looks like Kariya giving up on Nashville to me.

Many fans have correctly observed that Kariya has been more effective during the regular season during his time in Nashville than he has in the playoffs, so I don’t know that his departure is a knockout blow for the team’s chances on the ice. Where it hurts the Preds is that Kariya is a marquee star with plenty of name recognition, and it doesn’t help to see another big name drop from the roster in the wake of other recent departures.

Though it’s not a substantial cut of Mason’s upcoming salary, I applaud his dedication to the team and to the city. It’s long overdue since this sale “soap-opera” began in May that someone suiting up in a Preds jersey started sticking up for the city. Thanks, Chris, the feeling is mutual: We want you and your teammates to stick around a long, long time. While you’re at it, go out and bring back the Stanley Cup here to Nashville while you’re at it.