The 28-year-old defenseman is a two-time Norris Trophy winner (2012, 2015), a four-time NHL First All-Star Team selection (2012, 2015-17) and has led defensemen in scoring four times in his nine-season NHL career.
Erik Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks by the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
One of the top players in the NHL, Karlsson has had many memorable moments since he was drafted by Ottawa 10 years ago.
[RELATED: Karlsson traded to Sharks by Senators]
Here's a look at some of the most important dates in Karlsson's career:
June 20, 2008: The Senators select Karlsson in the first round (No. 15) of the 2008 NHL Draft after he had 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 38 games with Frolunda in Sweden's junior league.
Oct. 3, 2009: Karlsson makes his NHL debut and has his first point, an assist, in a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers.
Dec. 19, 2009: Karlsson scores his first goal 21 games into his NHL career. It comes 2:55 into the third period against Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom in a 4-1 win by the Senators.
April 14, 2010: In his first game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Karlsson, 19, has a goal and an assist in a 5-4 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Jan. 30, 2011: Karlsson plays in his first NHL All-Star Game.
Dec. 16. 2011: With his third assist of the game, on Zenon Konopka's second-period goal in a 6-4 victory against the Penguins, Karlsson reaches 100 points in his NHL career.
Jan. 29, 2012: In his home rink, Karlsson plays in his second All-Star Game but does not get a point.
June 19, 2012: Karlsson signs a seven-year contract with the Senators, which runs through the 2018-19 season.
June 21, 2012: Two days after signing his contract, Karlsson wins his first Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL. He has 78 points (19 goals, 59 assists) in 81 games, 25 more than the next defensemen (Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell).
Feb. 13, 2013: Karlsson sustains a lacerated Achilles tendon in his left leg when Penguins forward Matt Cooke's skate cuts him. He has surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 months.
April 25, 2013: Ten weeks to the day of the injury, Karlsson returns against the Washington Capitals. He has two assists, including the primary assist on Sergei Gonchar's overtime goal, in a 2-1 win.
Dec. 23, 2013: Karlsson's third point of the game, an assist on a goal by Kyle Turris in the third period of a 5-0 Senators win against the Penguins, is the 200th point of his NHL career.
Feb. 23, 2014: Karlsson wins a silver medal with Sweden when they are defeated by Canada 3-0 in the gold medal game at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. His eight points are tied for the tournament lead and he's named to the Olympic All-Star team and named the best defenseman in the tournament.
Oct. 2. 2014: Karlsson is named the ninth captain in Senators history, replacing Jason Spezza, who was traded to Dallas on July 1, 2014.
April 4, 2015: With an assist on Clarke MacArthur's first-period power-play goal, Karlsson gets his 300th NHL point in a 4-3 overtime win against the Capitals. Karlsson (393 games) becomes the fastest defenseman to reach the mark in 17 years (Sergei Zubov reached 300 points in 354 games, Jan. 11, 1998).
June 24, 2015: Karlsson wins his second Norris Trophy after scoring an NHL career-high 21 goals and leading defensemen in points with 66 in 82 games.
Jan. 31, 2016: Karlsson scores his first goal in an All-Star Game, a 4-2 win by the Atlantic Division against the Metropolitan Division in the semifinal in Nashville. The Atlantic Division is shut out 1-0 against the Pacific Division in the final game.
April 5, 2016: Karlsson's 100th NHL goal, and 80th point of the season, comes in the first period of a 5-3 loss to the Penguins.
Oct. 18, 2016: Karlsson scores with 13 seconds remaining in a 7-4 win against the Arizona Coyotes. It's the 102nd goal of his NHL career, moving him past Wade Redden for first among defensemen in Senators history.
Nov. 22, 2016: Karlsson joins the 400-point club with a second-period assist before scoring the game-winning goal 5:37 into the third period of a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Dec. 7, 2016: Karlsson has three points, and his second one, a goal at 7:19 of the first period of a 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks, gives him 411 points, passing Redden for most among defensemen in Senators history. Karlsson reaches the milestone in 332 fewer games than Redden.
Jan. 29, 2017: In his second straight All-Star Game, Karlsson scores a goal but the Atlantic Division loses to the Metropolitan Division 10-6 in the semifinals in Los Angeles.
Video: MET@ATL: Karlsson buries nifty one-timer
June 14, 2017: Karlsson has surgery to repair torn tendons in his left foot. It's revealed that the injury occurred during the playoffs, in which Karlsson does not miss a game and has 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 19 games to help the Senators advance to within one game of the Stanley Cup Final.
Nov. 30, 2017: Speaking about his contract, which runs through the 2018-19 season, Karlsson tells the Ottawa Citizen, "When I go to market, I'm going to get what I'm worth, and it's going to be no less, no matter where I'm going."
"We're in a fairly similar boat, and again, when it comes down to it, I'm sure we're going to have discussions about what we're thinking and what we're going to do," Karlsson says of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, who also can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season. "It's a business that we're in and we (need to) get treated like we're a business, and we're going to treat everybody else like it's a business too."
Jan. 28, 2018: Karlsson has three assists for the Atlantic Division in a 7-4 win against the Metropolitan in the semifinals at the All-Star Game at Tampa Bay. He has no points in a 5-2 loss to the Pacific Division in the final game.
Feb. 26. 2018: After Karlsson remains in Ottawa following the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion says the team will offer Karlsson a contract extension July 1, the first day they are allowed to do so. "I think Erik wants to be a Senator for life," Dorion says. "I don't want to speak for him, I'll let him speak for himself. We'll see what the next few months bring, but if Erik Karlsson is here on July 1, we will be making him a contract offer."
Feb. 27, 2018: One day after not being traded, Karlsson gets point No. 500 of his NHL career with a goal in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the Capitals.
Video: OTT@WSH: Karlsson nets 500th point from sharp angle
"I love this city, I love this community, I love everything about it," Karlsson says prior to the game. "I've been here for a long time. I've made Ottawa my home and it's always going to be my home. When that time comes I hope there's a place for me in the future and this team is going in the direction that I would like for us to have a chance in the near future."
April 2, 2018: In what ends up being his final game with the Senators, Karlsson has three assists in a 6-5 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Canadian Tire Centre. When the game ends, he grabs the puck from the ice.
Video: WPG@OTT: Karlsson grabs puck at end of last home game
July 1, 2018: Dorion says the Senators have offered Karlsson an extension, but doesn't go into detail about the terms, saying, "I think we owe it to our fans and we made a promise at the town hall that we would make a contract offer to Erik Karlsson and we've done so"
Sept. 13, 2018: Karlsson is traded to the Sharks along with forward Francis Perron for forward Chris Tierney, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, forward Rudolfs Balcers, the rights to unsigned draft choice forward Joshua Norris, San Jose's first-round draft pick in the 2019 or 2020 NHL Draft, a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft (the better of San Jose's own or Florida's own, previously acquired), a conditional pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (San Jose's own first- or second-round pick) and a conditional pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (San Jose's own first-round pick).
Tweet from @Senators: Thank you, Erik. You���ve been an exceptional member of the Ottawa Senators community both on and off the ice. We thank you for your dedication and wish you all the best. pic.twitter.com/h2VidKmSc1
The San Jose Sharks acquired the two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, making a blockbuster addition to the roster after missing out on the high-scoring center John Tavares in free agency.
General Manager Doug Wilson stood pat for most of the summer after Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs before pouncing when another superstar was available the day before San Jose opened training camp. Karlsson joins one of the top defensive groups in the league alongside the 2017 Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns and the shutdown defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
“It’s extremely rare that players of this caliber become available,” Wilson said. “The word ‘elite’ is often thrown around casually, but Erik’s skill set and abilities fit that description like few other players in today’s game. With Erik, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, we feel we have three of the N.H.L.’s top defensemen and stand as a better team today than we were yesterday.”
San Jose is sending the Senators a first-round pick in 2019 or 2020, a second-round pick in 2019, forwards Chris Tierney, Josh Norris and Rudolfs Balcers, defenseman Dylan DeMelo and two conditional draft picks. The Sharks also get forward Francis Perron.
OTTAWA — The Erik Karlsson era is over in Ottawa.
The Senators traded the star defenceman to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, just one day before Ottawa hits the ice for training camp.
The Senators dealt Karlsson and prospect forward Francis Perron to the Sharks. Ottawa gets forwards Chris Tierney and Rudolfs Balcers, defenceman Dylan DeMelo, prospect forward Josh Norris and two conditional draft picks. If San Jose re-signs Karlsson, Ottawa receives a conditional 2021 second-round selection — or a first-round pick (not lottery protected) if the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup final in 2019.
"I don't think that I've ever in my wildest imagination thought that I would ever leave this place," said Karlsson in an emotional news conference. "But, unfortunately, we're here under these circumstances and, again, that's not something I'm going to go into detail about.
"I was prepared to come here and work hard for this team. I still have a year left on my deal but unfortunately I couldn't follow that through."
Ottawa receives San Jose's first-round choice in either 2019 or 2020 (not lottery protected). If the Sharks miss the playoffs in 2018-19, it will be a 2019 selection, otherwise it will be in 2020. Ottawa gets a second-round choice in the 2019 draft from San Jose (which will be the higher of the two picks the Sharks currently own — the Florida Panthers' and their own).
"Erik is an exceptional hockey player whose skills delighted our fans for the past nine years," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. "We thank him for his dedication to hockey, and we wish him all the best.
"This is the right moment for us to rebuild our team, and shape our future with a faster, younger and more competitive team on the ice. We are going to build a culture of consistency which will allow this team to sustain better performance over the long term."
The departure of the 28-year-old face of the franchise is the latest development in what has been a turbulent stretch for the Senators.
Things started to go sideways last fall in the nation's capital after the club returned from a two-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in Sweden, going an ugly 1-9-3 over its next 13 to begin a tumble down the standings
Then on the eve of franchise's showcase outdoor game in mid-December, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk rained on his own parade by musing to reporters at a media availability on Parliament Hill that he might move the team if ticket sales didn't improve.
That launched the #MelnykOut hashtag on Twitter the same month, and while Melnyk eventually backtracked on the relocation talk, some fans decided to vent their frustration by raising money to fund a series of billboards featuring the slogan.
Through it all, Karlsson's future remained a key talking point ahead of February's trade deadline.
He ended up staying put, but tragedy struck in March when Karlsson and his wife Melinda announced their first child, a son they named Axel, was stillborn.
"I don't think that I could have ever prepared for this. That's why I don't have anything written, I haven't really wrapped my mind around what is really going on," said Karlsson, who made a statement without any prepared notes before taking questions from reporters. "I think it's been happening really fast, even though there's been noise for a year now."
More controversy bubbled to the surface in May when former captain and franchise icon Daniel Alfredsson, who left his role with Ottawa as a senior adviser the previous summer, was quoted saying he hopes the team gets a new owner.
Then assistant general manager Randy Lee was charged with harassing a 19-year-old male hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo, N.Y., during the NHL's pre-draft scouting combine. He was suspended by the team two weeks after being charged.
And if that wasn't enough, news broke in June that Karlsson's wife had filed a peace bond against Monika Caryk, the fiancee of former teammate Mike Hoffman, for alleged cyberbullying.
Hoffman, who was traded a week later, and Caryk have denied the allegations. A civil suit is ongoing.
Lee, who was also GM of the Senators' AHL affiliate, resigned from both jobs with the organization last month.
Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner (2012, 2015), spent the last nine seasons in Ottawa. The six-foot, 191-pound Swede was drafted by the Senators with the 15th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He made his debut in Ottawa the following year.
His breakout campaign came in 2011-12 when he had 78 points (19 goals, 59 assists), while averaging 25:19 of ice time.
"It's extremely rare that players of this calibre become available," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. "The word elite is often thrown around casually but Erik's skill-set and abilities fit that description like few other players in today's game. With Erik, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, we feel we have three of the NHL's top defencemen and stand as a better team today than we were yesterday. We are thrilled to welcome Erik and his wife, Melinda, to San Jose."
"Ultimately, to acquire a player like this, you have to give to get and we are losing some quality players but also some very good people. All of the players leaving our organization have a very bright future in this league and we wish them all the best."
Speculation about Karlsson's future had been a hot topic in what has been a headline-loaded off-season for the Senators. The team said it offered Karlsson, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, a contract extension on July 1.
Ottawa fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in double overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final in 2017, but struggled mightily last season, finishing 30th in the 31-team NHL with just 67 points.
Karlsson put the Senators on his shoulders in the 2017 playoffs, leading them in scoring with 18 points — including two game-winning goals — in 19 contests, averaging more 28 minutes of ice time despite having torn tendons in his left foot, which required off-season surgery.
Karlsson had 62 points (nine goals, 53 assists) in Ottawa's disastrous 2017-18 campaign.
In 627 career games, the speedy native of Landsbro, Sweden, has 126 goals and 392 assists, while averaging just under 26 minutes a night. He's added 37 points (six goals, 31 assists) in 48 playoff outings.
Photo: Nils Petter Nilsson (Getty)
It comes about a half-season too late, but longtime Senators blue-line rock Erik Karlsson is finally getting the hell out of the ruins of Ottawa. He’s getting dealt to the Sharks for kids and draft picks, and he’ll play the final season of his contract in San Jose before hitting a lucrative payday in unrestricted free agency. If the Sharks don’t lock him up long-term first:
If you can wrap your head around the fact that the Sens fell from Cup contenders to total disaster zone in less than a year, this is a reasonably decent deal for all involved. (Remember, for Ottawa, this is the return for a single year of Karlsson; they were never going to re-sign him.) Tierney had an encouraging 40-point season last year, but he and DeMelo are already in their mid-20s and likely destined to be filler bodies while the Senators rebuild. Norris, however, is a teenager, a 2017 first-round pick, and made solid contributions to Michigan’s Frozen Four team last year, while Balcers is a formerly unheralded Latvian 21-year-old who has yet to hit the ice in the NHL but killed it for the Sharks’ minor-league team last year, leading the AHL’s Barracuda in goals and points.
The Sharks in return get young Frances Perron, who probably isn’t that good, but they also receive a two-time Norris Trophy winner who, despite some injury concerns, still ranks among the absolute best two-way defensemen in the game. For an aggressive Sharks team that’s made big moves in 2018—including a trade for Evander Kane and the long-term signing of Logan Couture—Karlsson is a more than solid consolation prize after the franchise missed out on John Tavares this offseason. Almost as sweet, they also get to screw over division rivals Vegas, who reportedly wanted Karlsson too.
Karlsson wins the most, however, because he’s off an embarrassingly mismanaged and toxic Sens organization and onto a team that’s starting to believe that it could maybe (just maybe) gun for a Cup, with some more relaxing weather to boot. This Karlsson deal may not be quite as earth-shaking as, for example, a move to the Lightning could have been. But it’s about damn time Karlsson played someplace relevant again. Barring some major fuck-up in the upcoming season, he’ll be back in the playoffs where he belongs.
