Eklund: The Erik Karlsson Konundrum

I actually agree with this 100%.

I actually agree with this 100%.
- jmatchett383

Does that worry you agreeing with EK 100%?

Does that worry you agreeing with EK 100%?
- stevens87

It does. I may need to rethink that quick-turn lobotomy.

San Jose gets Pesce, Jarvis, and $9.2mil in cap space per for the next 4 years to help rebuild their team.

Carolina gets Karlsson at a super bargain for 4 years at a $4.6mil per.

Hawks get a cap hit of $4.6 mil for 4 years and Carolina’s very late 1st round and 2nd round picks.

Too much? Too little?

Who says no?

Eklund: The Erik Karlsson Konundrum
- Eklund

Still ironic the Norris was given to a defenseman who fundamentally cannot defend....90 goals allowed at 5v5.

It does. I may need to rethink that quick-turn lobotomy.
- jmatchett383

Still ironic the Norris was given to a defenseman who fundamentally cannot defend....90 goals allowed at 5v5.
- Alexzanki

Didn’t realize he was a goalie

Didn’t realize he was a goalie
- Feds91Stammer

Always the goaltenders fault

He’s just such a liability defensively that you have to shelter… yet you also need to feed him minutes by the bushel.

That and the money

If I were a contender, with all of that going on, I don’t know that I’d want him around.

quite often the goaltender's fault.

Being a Day 1 Season Ticket holder, I have seen Burns and Karlsson and would say that Karlsson is the better D Man of the two. Some of you will say that that's not really a ringing endorsement. Burns muscle memory has long been that of a forward and when you watch him play, it takes him an extra second to figure out where he should be on the ice and that often leaves his man alone in front of the net for a Grade A scoring chance. His hockey IQ is far behind Karlsson's and he survives on his physical abilities. He doesn't learn from his mistakes and would often dog it back to the D Zone when he was caught whereas Karlsson hustles back to try to get into position. Burns was constantly burned by trying home run passes from his own zone that were intercepted at the blue or red line and turned back against him. Pitts burgh's run in 2016 with 2 forecheckers flummoxed Burns and he couldn't adapt. He will dive at the blue line to try to break up 2-1s because it worked once and he gets burned time and again.
Karlsson is the elite passer on D. Many of his passes don't connect because the forwards aren't ready to accept the pass and it goes off of their stick or past them because the stick is not on the ice. I sit behind the net 7 rows up and can see EK65's vision and there isn't anyone who has his vision. Don't forget that the overwhelming number of his minuses for +/- were the result of empty net goals.
The Sharks should keep him for this upcoming season versus trying to force something; with the cap increasing $4+million next year, more teams will be able to afford him and with one less year on the contract, should bring a better bargain than they will get now

When EK signed with SJ, money mattered most…..now he wants to play on a contender, because winning matters! Well EK, you can have it both ways. Any Leaf players paying attention!? Yeah I know, dumb question.

When EK signed with SJ, money mattered most…..now he wants to play on a contender, because winning matters! Well EK, you can have it both ways. Any Leaf players paying attention!? Yeah I know, dumb question.
- Bullot

What a well thought out post. When everyone you’re referring to signed their deals they should have been able to predict this flat cap era.

But…on a contender he could be given a little less minutes and would/should be playing with better forwards. If the penguins are in fact in on him, he’d possibly be on the 2nd pairing behind Letang.

Same thing for Carolina, he’d possibly be on the 2nd pairing behind Burns.

But no contender is trading for EK with that full cap hit, it needs to be under $8 mil with SJ or another team taking a bad contract back

When EK signed with SJ, money mattered most…..now he wants to play on a contender, because winning matters! Well EK, you can have it both ways. Any Leaf players paying attention!? Yeah I know, dumb question.
- Bullot

EK signed with SJ when they still had Burns, E Kane, Meier, and a younger Couture/Vlasic. They had a pretty decent team on paper. In the 2019 playoffs, the sharks were in the WCF and recently lost to the Pens in the SC finals.

It’s not like SJ was a poop team. Obviously money mattered, but I don’t think he would had signed there if he knew they were going into a full rebuild 2 years after getting to the WCF

San Jose gets Pesce, Jarvis, and $9.2mil in cap space per for the next 4 years to help rebuild their team.

Carolina gets Karlsson at a super bargain for 4 years at a $4.6mil per.

Hawks get a cap hit of $4.6 mil for 4 years and Carolina’s very late 1st round and 2nd round picks.

Too much? Too little?

Who says no?
- Ztra

I would if I were Chicago. They just drafted their franchise player, no need to handicap themselves for the next four years for late 1st and 2nd round picks.

San Jose gets Pesce, Jarvis, and $9.2mil in cap space per for the next 4 years to help rebuild their team.

Carolina gets Karlsson at a super bargain for 4 years at a $4.6mil per.

Hawks get a cap hit of $4.6 mil for 4 years and Carolina’s very late 1st round and 2nd round picks.

Too much? Too little?

18+million of dead cap space for a late first and a second. Way too little for the Hawks.

Who says no?
- Ztra

San Jose gets Pesce, Jarvis, and $9.2mil in cap space per for the next 4 years to help rebuild their team.

Carolina gets Karlsson at a super bargain for 4 years at a $4.6mil per.

Hawks get a cap hit of $4.6 mil for 4 years and Carolina’s very late 1st round and 2nd round picks.

Too much? Too little?

Who says no?
- Ztra

With the exception of San Jose and Chicago, I think all 3 teams would agree.

San Jose gets Pesce, Jarvis, and $9.2mil in cap space per for the next 4 years to help rebuild their team.

Carolina gets Karlsson at a super bargain for 4 years at a $4.6mil per.

Hawks get a cap hit of $4.6 mil for 4 years and Carolina’s very late 1st round and 2nd round picks.

Too much? Too little?

Who says no?
- Ztra

2/3 of the teams involved, likely

Didn’t realize he was a goalie
- Feds91Stammer

please dont procreate

please dont procreate
- Xizord

Is goals allowed not a goalie stat?

Still ironic the Norris was given to a defenseman who fundamentally cannot defend....90 goals allowed at 5v5.
-Alexzanki

Goals against at 5v5 is primarily a team stat. Like +/- it's irrelevant without context - and only comparable to players on the same team who were deployed with similar teammates, against similar competition.

He can defend as well as any other D on San Jose. But he put up 4.2 times as many points as their next highest scoring defenseman (101 vs. 24 for Benning). Imagine that team if he didn't have the year he did. He deserved the Norris, no question.

Welcome to the world of having a trash contract homie.

Sure is badass to lock in all the millions and millions when you have the chance, but you better be ready to ride or die with your organization once you sign on the dotted line if your ultimate goal is to win a Cup. I sure hope he's not silently upset and tired of playing in SJ.

You'd have thought Luongo signing his massive deal and coming out to say not long after "my contract sucks" would've resonated with a few guys more than it did, and still should. Doesn't matter how good you are, or how well you fit another teams mold/wants & how bad they wish they could have you, if the money doesn't work, it doesn't work, & it doesn't matter how much anyone tries to downplay his weaknesses, EK is a one trick pony that if a team makes that commitment to acquire, their defense/forward group have to be already stylistically playing to support such a massive liability through the NZ & his own zone.

Sucks bro, Goodluck finding a home that gives you an honest opportunity.

Goals against at 5v5 is primarily a team stat. Like +/- it's irrelevant without context - and only comparable to players on the same team who were deployed with similar teammates, against similar competition.

He can defend as well as any other D on San Jose. But he put up 4.2 times as many points as their next highest scoring defenseman (101 vs. 24 for Benning). Imagine that team if he didn't have the year he did. He deserved the Norris, no question.
- ElbowingPenalty

Not coming from me, a lot of the advance stats crowd would say his defensive numbers don't hold to similar players like Fox or Makar. Basically he's allowing way too many offensive chances to the opposition and not actually preventing.

Cool he got a hundred but if you want to talk about context , I can argue the other way, he was pretty much leading his team in ice time and of course a 69% offensive zone start in various situations. Not denying he's a good puck moving PP QB , but yikes he needs a reliable stay at home pairing.

Again , the criteria for winning the Norris blurs the line on what is considered a good defenseman .