It’s sort of difficult to recall the first time his name came up in trade rumours.
Was it when he talked about getting what he was worth during that lengthy losing streak? Or was it when Eugene Melnyk routinely asked everyone for their no-trade lists as part of a financial roadshow? Maybe it was one of those obnoxious trade bait lists TSN puts out.
Either way, Erik Karlsson trade rumours have become part of our lives now. Speculation about the face of the franchise has become central to the dark times that have fallen upon the organization over the last thirteen months.
So what’s the latest you ask? Well it’s becoming clear that nobody has any damn idea.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have taken a step back in their pursuit of Karlsson. But also, they remain in the mix and are the most likely landing spot. That big money extension to Nikita Kucherov means they can no longer afford Karlsson. But also, that big money extension means that they now have a better sense of how much they can spend on Karlsson.
The Dallas Stars, once thought to be the favourite in all of this, are now…again…the favourites in all of this. Bobby Ryan has to be included in any Karlsson deal but also that’s not really a part of it. Vegas is out of the running but don’t forget about George McPhee and the Golden Knights. There are no other teams with a chance though. Well except for the San Jose Sharks.
This will definitely end before the start of the regular season. This could drag on till the deadline. A deal is imminent but also, a deal isn’t close.
It’s fluid. There are rumblings. Sources suggest and all indications are that.
AHHHHHHHHHH
The idea of trading Erik Karlsson would test the patience of any Sens fan but the way this has all played out is pushing an already fragile fan base to the brink.
I can only imagine how stressful all this must be for Erik Karlsson.
We have #KarlssonWatch covered. #NotABigDeal pic.twitter.com/NxqpPpnhks
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) July 9, 2018
Oh.
One thing that is certain is that there isn’t much coming out of the Ottawa side of things right now.
Pierre Dorion has taken a vow of silence on this particular topic, not wanting to tip his hand on how he’s going to deal with this difficult situation. There is a lot of strategic leaking going on in this process, and the Sens have been a part of it, but it’s clear that nobody is really sure what direction the Senators are headed.
The trade out of Ottawa…or the contract extension with Ottawa or with someone else….could happen any minute now. Or never.
Until then, I’m on vacation.
-Alex Burrows has had a busy summer. Waivers, a buy out, retirement and a new job all in the span of a couple weeks. The newest Assistant Coach of the Laval Rockets has been doing a little media tour including appearances on TSN 1200 and Toronto radio. And as you’d expect, there have been some interesting comments about exactly what went wrong in Ottawa this past season. Specifically, Burrows talked about wishing he would have done more to address the issues in the room. And while Burrows didn’t really get into much detail, you sort of get the sense he’s talking about more than just the known incident with Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson. On Toronto radio, Burrows also made a couple interesting remarks about the Owner not having money and about the players hearing the rumours about the team being for sale. You can listen to that interview here (starts at about the one hour mark).
