Karlsson may make it impossible for the Sharks to move him
After back-to-back subpar seasons, by his standards, Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson has rebounded mightily. He already has as many goals as he did all of last season with 10 and is just 11 points away from match last year's point total (35). Karlsson has been playing so well, that new Sharks GM Mike Grier is openly taking trade inquiries as the Sharks look to re-tool their roster.
While Grier may be entertaining the idea of trading Karlsson, this may be the best time to trade him and get out from under the remaining 4 years of his contract that has an annual cap hit of $11.5M. However, Karlsson doesn't sound like he wants to go anywhere.
"I'm fully invested here at the moment. We are in a situation where we need to win a few games. I'm just worried about the next one. That's all I can control. All that other stuff, it is nice for you guys to have something to talk about. I'll let you have at it," Karlsson said to reporters Thursday.
Not only does Karlsson want to stay in San Jose, but the ball is pretty much in his court as he holds a full no-move clause. He would have to approve any trade proposal that Grier wants to accept. On his no-move clause, Karlsson said, "If that question ever arises, you know, it's going to be between me and Grier. So, there's no point for me to think about that or speculate about that."
It will be interesting to see how the Sharks handle Karlsson's resurgence up to the trade deadline, but to move a player and contract like his is more of a summer deal when teams have less contracts and more cap flexibility.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 17 | 132 ANSWERS Karlsson may make it impossible for the Sharks to move him Do you think Karlsson would block a trade to a contending team at the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 50 | 37.9 % |
| No | 82 | 62.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
