Senators unsure if Karlsson will play again this season Boucher not ‘expecting’ captain’s return, but not ruling it out either
Erik Karlsson wasn’t with the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, and there are no guarantees he’ll suit up again this season.
The door had been left open for the Senators captain to join his teammates for their matchup with the Buffalo Sabres, the first part of a season-ending three-game road swing, but it didn’t happen.
Karlsson, 27, stayed with his wife Melinda in Ottawa, where he has remained following the death of their son on March 19, except for a trip to Detroit for last Saturday ’s game against the Red Wings.
The Senators will give him whatever time he needs, and say his schedule is up to him.
“I’ve said since the beginning that it was going to be his call, and that’s where it stands,” Senators head coach Guy Boucher said Wednesday morning.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Karlsson won’t join the Senators for the end of this trip. The Senators face the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Friday night and the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday night.
“Karlsson’s not playing today and I’m not expecting him in the next (two) games, but we’ll see,” Boucher said.
Is there a chance Karlsson could fly to Pittsburgh or Boston and meet the Senators there?
“He’s done it before,” Boucher said, referring to late last season, when Karlsson, nursing an injured leg, flew into Detroit for a game after skating on his own in Ottawa in the morning.
If he doesn’t play in Pittsburgh or Boston, Karlsson may have suited up for his last game with the Senators. Much was made of the fact he picked a puck out of the net after Monday ’s home game, a 6-5 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Karlsson has one year left on his contract, and the window to discuss an extension opens July 1.
The Senators plan to talk to Karlsson about a contract, but it’s possible he could be traded around the time of the NHL draft in Dallas on June 22 and 23, or later if there’s no agreement on a long-term extension.
Asked about the chance that fans may not see Karlsson with the Senators again, Boucher said: “That’s not my job. I’m looking at the players who are here (to) play today to win the game today, and whatever is outside of my realm I leave to other people to take care of that.”