Erik Karlsson is back. He’s the defenseman with most points scored this season, and is carrying the San Jose Sharks on his shoulders.
It doesn’t look like the Sharks will be in the playoffs next year, and that’s led to rumors of Erik Karlsson leaving to a Stanley Cup contender, to allow Sharks do a rebuild.
Erik Karlsson revival is as surprising as it is impressive. Since he signed his hefty contract with the Sharks, he’s been a laughing stock with fans across the league, all saying he doesn’t live up to his salary. But now, he’s finally completely healthy, and it shows.
He’s playing just like he did in the good ol’ days, when he was simply unstoppable for the Ottawa Senators. Erik Karlsson led his team as a captain on several impressive playoff runs, despite the Senators not having the roster for it. But Karlsson was the best defenseman in the world, and it took them far.
One of the most awesome, and most funny, moments in Karlssons time in Ottawa came in a game against the LA Kings in October 2017.
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As the players waited for the puck drop starting overtime, a small delay allowed Kings players Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty to have a little chit chat. And there were no doubt what they were talking about: Erik Karlsson.
Brown, Kopitar, and Doughty is an respectable line, but they had one problem. Nobody wanted to cover Erik Karlsson.
It was clear from the TV broadcast that Kopitar and Doughty absolutely not wanted to cover Karlsson, so they asked to Brown to give him the mission. He, with all clarity, implied that he would cover Oduya instead.
Karlsson overheard the exchanged, and couldn’t help but laughing. The moment proved that even some of the best players in the NHL were terrified of Karlsson, and it was just such a wholesome and pure moment. We absolutely love it.
