Erik Karlsson is coming off a magical season in the NHL.
And now the rumors begin…
An announcement about the Swede tonight makes the entire NHL drop its jaw.
The 2022/2023 season was really Erik Karlsson’s big revenge. He has struggled since moving to the San Jose Sharks, where he is one of the league’s highest-paid players. Karlsson has not lived up to the to say the least juicy salary, but last winter it was different.
Exciting information
Karlsson became the first defenseman in over 30 years to reach 100 points in the NHL, and this despite playing in one of the league’s worst teams. The Sharks were early on completely excluded from the playoffs, and there were then rumors that Karlsson could be traded to a club with a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
But it didn’t happen that way, and since then it has been quiet with rumors about the Swede. But now they are picking up speed again – after, to say the least, exciting information that leaked out last night. According to TSN’s reliable Pierre LeBrun, Erik Karlsson’s representatives had a meeting with the Sharks this week, where the message was clear: Erik Karlsson wants to leave the Sharks already this summer, and the Sharks are more than willing to resolve it.
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Hoping for a solution
Erik Karlsson is on one of the most expensive contracts in the NHL, and the Sharks now want to start rebuilding the squad. This is difficult when so much of the salary goes to a player. At the same time, Karlsson wants to get the chance to win the Stanley Cup, so it is in both interests to reach a solution. According to LeBrun, “several teams” have heard about the Sharks in recent days. Given Karlsson’s contract, it is far from obvious that a deal can be resolved, but there is hope on the part of all parties.
This summer, Erik Karlsson is the super favorite to win the Norris Trophy, the award for the year’s best defender, as he became only the sixth defender in the league’s history to reach triple figures in points in one and the same season. During the season, among other things, there were rumors that the Edmonton Oilers were interested, and surely the thought of seeing Karlsson and Connor McDavid in the same team is tickling?
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