Erik Karlsson is the best defenceman in the National Hockey League.
Let’s get that out of the way first. Every year other defenceman enter the discussion and every year it becomes increasingly obvious that nobody is quite on Karlsson’s level. PK Subban, Drew Doughty and Brent Burns are all great defenceman and all have a Norris Trophy on their mantle but I’m not sure there’s anyone left that would argue any of those players can match Karlsson.
Not after last season, anyway.
Under Guy Boucher, Karlsson was asked to take on a slightly different role. Shorter shifts. More time in his own end of the rink. Blocking shots and taking fewer risks. And while it may not have come naturally to Karlsson, he embraced it from day one.
He still finished the season with an impressive 71 points (second only to Brent Burns and 17th in the league) but in a remarkable twist, he’d finish the season 2nd in blocked shots. Not conventional shot-blocking either. But blocking shots and then transitioning immediately the other way.
Almost over night, he had transformed his game to fit in with a new system and in the process, give his team a better chance to win.
And when the Captain did it, the team followed along.
His performance through 19 playoff games this past spring was the stuff of legends. It immediately brought back memories of Daniel Alfredsson during the ’07 Cup run. Where he would just refuse to be denied and on many nights was single-handedly willing his team to victory. What made Karlsson’s performance perhaps more impressive than Alfie was the fact that he was doing it all on one good foot.
Karlsson’s injury issues were well-documented down the stretch and in the playoffs. The opposition knew it and in many cases targeted it, and they still couldn’t slow the guy down. Had Karlsson been playing at 100% during the East Final, there’s little doubt the Senators would have ended up on the right side of that series.
Watching Karlsson’s progression as a player this past few years has been a treat for Sens fans.
He already sits 4th on the franchise’s point leader list (just 35 behind Alexei Yashin) and he’s pulling away at the top of the list of points by a defenceman, 46 clear of Wade Redden. His 456 career points are ranked 74th all-time among defenceman, only he’s played 300-500 fewer games than most of the guys around him. In fact, he’s just inside the top 10 all time when it comes to points per game.
The elephant in the room when it comes to Karlsson is of course the impending contract negotiations expected to begin next summer. While Karlsson and the organization will keep quiet about the process during the season, it’s something that both sides are very much aware of and prepared for. Karlsson has seen some of the other contracts signed by the league’s top stars in the last few months and he’ll be looking for one of his own as of July 1st.
An eight year deal worth north of $10 million is a conservative starting point. In the meantime, the Senators will continue to benefit from one of the most team-friendly deals anywhere in the league. He’ll make $7 mi this season and $#7.5 next year all while carrying an absurdly low cap hit of $6.5 mil a year.
Lingering effects of an off-season surgery might also be a bit of a concern.
Karlsson went under the knife to repair torn tendons in his foot in mid-June and initially, the recovery time was estimated at about four months. That would have him returning somewhere in the middle of October, and possibly on the shelf to start the regular season. Of course Karlsson has a reputation for quick recoveries so it’s possible he’s back well before that.
Karlsson met with the media in New York today and mentioned that he still hasn’t skated since the surgery which obviously puts his status for opening night in doubt. Not surprising considering the original four month timeline. We’ll certainly hear more about his status once he arrives in Ottawa for the start of Training Camp.
For all Erik Karlsson does for this team, he’ll be asked to do even more this season. Ottawa’s power play was atrocious last year, finishing at a 17% (ranked 23rd in the league) and at times was so bad it was costing them hockey games. And while Karlsson isn’t necessarily to blame for that, he’ll certainly be a key element in any potential solution. Fixing this part of the game will be a focus for Guy Boucher and the Captain will be a big part of that process.
There’s also the matter of who Karlsson will play with this year. His long-time defence partner Marc Methot is gone and it leaves an opening heading into the new season. Freddy Claesson, Johnny Oduya and Dion Phaneuf are all options there with the most-likely scenario being a platoon of guys on that top pairing. Not ideal but Karlsson made Filip Kuba look like an All Star so it’s not a huge concern either.
It’s hard to know just how high to set the bar for Karlsson this season.
He was already clearly establishing himself as the best defenceman in the game but his performance in the playoffs elevated him to the forefront of the discussion on the best player in hockey. He was that good. And while it’s a given his name will be in the mix for the Norris Trophy at season’s end, it’s not out of the question to think he could be in the Hart conversation too.
Yesterday I declared the Ottawa Senators were a Stanley Cup contender heading into this season and Erik Karlsson is a big reason why. After watching the way he controlled games during the post-season, I’m not sure what Erik Karlsson can do for an encore.
But I can’t wait to find out.
Greatest. Saucer pass. Ever. pic.twitter.com/TZuOwW1bHD
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 1, 2017
