There was a lot going on this week in the hockey world, which made one set of comments from a notable NHL defenseman, Erik Karlsson, go largely un-noticed.
Karlsson was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins this past summer and has several seasons remaining on his current contract, which carries an $11.5M cap hit, though the Pens are on the hook for $10M with the Sharks having retained $1.5M per season. However, there have been some persisting rumours that Kyle Dubas could be entertaining the idea of flipping Karlsson back to Ottawa.
Previous reports have suggested that Karlsson is amenable to the idea, as is Sens ownership. However, Karlsson himself addressed the rumours this week, completely dismissing them. He also took a shot at Canadian hockey markets in his comments.
"Yeah, that's Canada for you. I played there for a long time, so I kind of know how that game works. They got a lot of things to talk about every day, because they've got a lot of air time, but very few things to actually discuss, so they like to make up these "what-if" scenarios. That's just the way it is and it's not something I really worry too much about."
By the sounds of things, we won't be seeing Karlsson back in Canada anytime soon, if ever. The Norris Trophy-winning defenseman has a full no-movement clause built into his contract, so he is in full control of where he plays. Right now, he appears focused on being a Penguin. What the future holds beyond this season, well, we won't know that until at least this summer.
