Erik Karlsson’s Future in Ottawa

SensChirp May 16, 2018 0
Erik Karlsson’s Future in Ottawa

You’ll have to excuse Sens fans if they seem a little bit distracted these days.

The summer months are usually an opportunity for hockey fans to recharge their batteries. It’s a time to reflect on the season that just passed (or in Ottawa’s case forget about it entirely) and to look forward to the year ahead.

Sure it can drag on a little at times but with the Entry Draft, free agency and the various rookie camps and tournaments sprinkled through what is essentially three hockey-free months, there’s usually a lot to keep a hockey fan busy.

But in Ottawa, this off-season feels a little bit different.

The future of Erik Karlsson- the team’s Captain, one of the league’s premier defenceman and arguably the best player in the franchise history- will be decided this summer. And the terrifying reality is that nobody, including those involved, really knows what to expect.

And that’s sort of the way it has been since February.

Rumours swirled around Karlsson in the weeks and days leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline.  And while there’s no doubt some of the speculation was a bit exaggerated for the purposes of driving interest around the deadline, the Senators were at least listening to offers on their franchise player.

Tampa Bay seemed to be the team mentioned most often but they were apparently reluctant to trade either of Brayden Point or Mikhail Sergachev.  Their interest seemed to be the most highly-publicized but they certainly weren’t the only team kicking tires.

The San Jose Sharks made what was apparently a serious pitch on the night before the deadline. It may be the one Bobby Ryan heard about.  Some suggested that the Washington Capitals, who look the part of a Stanley Cup favourite right now, made a serious late deadline day push for Karlsson, offering up Jakub Vrana, a first round pick and another piece or two.

And perhaps the closest of all was the Vegas Golden Knights, who were not only targeting Karlsson but had the room to take on Bobby Ryan’s contract too.  Multiple pieces were offered with names like Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch being mentioned along with some combination of prospects and picks.

In the end, nothing happened.

The deadline passed and Karlsson remained an Ottawa Senator.  Nobody offered what Pierre Dorion referred to as a “franchise deal”. Some (er all?) insiders outside of Ottawa suggested that a deal was close. It was a claim that Pierre Dorion refuted in his post-deadline remarks.  It was in those same remarks that Dorion seemed to leave the door open to a summer time deal when he said IF Karlsson is here on July 1st, they’ll make an offer.

It’s that big if that lingers in the minds of Sens fans as the NHL Entry Draft approaches.

During their Town Hall sessions, Pierre Dorion seemed to change course a little bit by guaranteeing that the team would not trade Karlsson at the Draft and adding that he would be receiving an offer on July 1st. It seemed like a slight change in plans from where they were at leading up to the deadline (and in the moments that followed) but it certainly provided some reassurance for fans worried about Karlsson’s future in Ottawa.

To his credit, Karlsson said all the right things in his remarks after the deadline. He reiterated that he wants to stay in Ottawa. Obviously he also wants to get paid what he’s worth too but it’s clear that he legitimately wants to be a Senator.

Yet the uncertainty remains.  And the reality is it will stay that way until he either signs on the dotted line or the unthinkable happens and the Senators actually pull the trigger on a deal.

What’s so unique about the Karlsson situation is it clearly has a huge impact on anything the Senators do going forward.

With Karlsson in the picture next year and for the next eight years, it’s easy to sell the possibility of a quick turnaround.  Rather than talk of a full-scale rebuild it’s more about retooling and building around one of the best defenceman in the league.  But if he’s moved, there are suddenly a few other key guys that might also be trade candidates. Without Erik Karlsson on the back end, the path to building a contending hockey team looks a lot longer.

And that’s why this summer is a tough one for Sens fans.  The future of the franchise hangs in the balance and nobody really knows how it will play out.

We can talk about coaching moves, draft options, free agency targets and even speculate about next year’s lineup but for every fan of the Ottawa Senators, there is one primary question that needs to be answered in the next two months.

What will happen with Erik Karlsson?

We’ve talked about this topic a lot over the last few months and it really seems like fans are split on how this is all going to play out. So let’s put it to a poll.  Keep in mind this is “what do you EXPECT will happen” and not “what do you WANT to happen”. Just trying to get a sense of where people’s heads are at heading into this franchise-defining summer.

 

What do you expect will happen with Erik Karlsson this summer?

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