The San Jose Sharks have re-signed all-star defenceman Erik Karlsson to an eight-year contract extension worth $92 million, or $11.5 million per season. This contract will carry him through the 2027 season.
OFFICIAL: #SJSharks re-sign @ErikKarlsson65 to an eight-year contract!
?: https://t.co/6CBIaJD2b0 pic.twitter.com/QtokLKxrTV
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 17, 2019
Erik Karlsson Puts Pen to Paper with Sharks
Over his nine-year NHL career, Karlsson started his journey with the Ottawa Senators prior to being dealt to the Sharks. He has put up 129 goals and 434 assists for 563 career points in 627 career games. He was originally drafted in the first round, 15 overall of the 2008 NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators.
Last season, despite missing significant time and only playing in 53 games, he was still one of the best possession players in the NHL. He scored 3 goals and 42 assists for 45 points. He also added 22 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were a 59.3% Corsi and a relative Corsi of 7.6. Karlsson, when healthy, paired with Brenden Dillon to form a dynamic D pair.
In the playoffs, Karlsson finished tied for second in Sharks scoring with two goals and 16 points. The Sharks run took them to the Western Conference finals where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. Unfortunately for Karlsson, he was slowed by a groin injury he picked up in the series. While he finished the series, the injury required surgery. He is expected to be recovered for the start of the season.
What This Means for the Future
Erik Karlsson spent his entire career in Canada’s capital prior to this year, until he got traded before the 2018-19 season. Karlsson to many is the NHL’s best defender since the likes of Bobby Orr.
The extension on Karlsson solidifies the Sharks blueline for years to come. With faces like superstar Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic already with the Sharks long-term, keeping Karlsson on the roster adds to their star power and lethal backend. The Sharks and Karlsson hope to build off their run the Western Conference finals and capture hockey’s ultimate prize.
As a condition of his trade to San Jose based on re-signing, the Senators will now receive a 2021 second-round pick to complete the trade.
Karlsson is the latest potential free agent to re-sign with his team recently. Jeff Skinner and Jordan Eberle also re-signed rather than test the market.
