EVIDENCE OF ANGST IN KARLSSON’S RETURN
Sharks’ defenceman shows edgy side when asked about Saturday’s game in Ottawa
It’s like when Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath and then came back. It’s like doing Dry November and then having that first cold pint Dec. 1st.
Three and a half weeks before Christmas, you can almost hear the carols that Senators fans are singing as their team battles to stay out of the Eastern Conference basement. “You better watch out, you better not cry Better not pout, I’m telling you why Erik Karlsson’s comin’ to town’’ Just one more sleep.
The former Senators captain makes his first return to Canadian Tire Centre as a member of the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon in what is expected to be the team’s third announced sellout in 15 games.
It’s the most anticipated game of the season in Ottawa.
“It’s like the return of Jesus to me,” said Ben Milks, aka @brian5or6 and the biggest Karlsson fan in town. “It’s like when Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath and then came back. It’s like doing Dry November and then having that first cold pint December 1st. It’s like one night sleeping in a ditch, and then the next night slipping in The Ritz with room service ...”
You get the picture. Karlsson is no doubt feeling anxious about the homecoming. He never wanted to leave Ottawa, or at least that’s what he led people to believe. Days before the start of Senators training camp, he apparently told friends he wasn’t going anywhere, that Eugene Melnyk was selling the team, Daniel Alfredsson was joining the new ownership group and he would be signing a new, long-term deal.
Karlsson liked the idea of being a Senator for his entire career, or at least that’s what he led people to believe.
Already traded once, sort of (the Senators swapped first round picks with Nashville and threw in a third to move up in the 2008 draft so they could take him), Karlsson never expected it to happen again. And then on Sept. 13, GM Pierre Dorion called to tell him to not bother reporting for medicals.
Karlsson and minor leaguer Francis Perron were shipped the Sharks for Dylan DeMelo, Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, first round pick Josh Norris, and a Round 2 pick in 2019, a conditional Round 1 pick in 2020, a conditional Round 2 pick in 2021 and a conditional Round 1 pick in 2022.
Ottawa, the city, mourned his departure.
Karlsson, meanwhile, has not had his ideal start with the Sharks. Through 26 games he has two goals, 13 assists and a dash 9 that ranks among the plus-minus ratings in the league. After nine seasons with the Senators, he’s going through an adjustment period.
At worst, the Sharks could find out that maybe having Karlsson and fellow Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns wasn’t such a great idea, that there’s not enough prominence for both of them.
Over the next few months, the hockey world will closely monitor whether Karlsson develops into a nice fit with the Sharks and whether both they and he would like the relationship to continue. If not, Karlsson will be among the top names on the UFA market next July.
Perhaps that’s what he wanted all along.
Either way, Karlsson is showing signs of edginess as he makes his way to the nation’s capital. In Buffalo on Tuesday, he refused to talk with reporters about the game against his old team. After Wednesday’s 5-3 loss in Toronto — during which he was pointless and a minus-1 in a game high 26:18 — Karlsson was requested by members of the media. When he joined the scrum after showering and getting dressed, he was greeted by Ken Campbell of The Hockey News.
“The time is nigh,” said Campbell. “For your big game back in Ottawa,”
Without even letting his feet settle, he turned and left the group, saying: “Yep, that’s it.”
If he was because he was sour over the loss, Karlsson could have had a more professional response, like, say, “I’m only talking about tonight’s game, guys.”
Now he’s scheduled for an availability on Friday, after the Sharks 2 p.m. practice at Canadian Tire Centre. It’s widely believed he won’t say anything of significance, nothing controversial or especially honest, just “it’s good to be back blah, blah, blah ...”
But with Karlsson, there’s always a chance. He does things his way, not always the expected way.
We learned that during a road trip when he was a teenaged rookie with the Senators.
In a Saturday afternoon game at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Karlsson was on the ice for all five goals against in a 5-4 loss to the Stars. After the game, the Senators flew to Montreal, where they would play the Habs on Monday night. They arrived early enough in the evening that there was still plenty of time to go out and have some fun.
The next day, coach Cory Clouston made the practice an “optional.” Karlsson opted against participating.
“Sometimes the stats tell you one thing and the game tells you another thing, it was a night like that, I think,” he said of his performance against the Stars. “I felt good about my game. Minus-4 obviously doesn’t feel good, you don’t want to be that. You might want to change something up. But overall, I think the whole team played a good game.”
The next night Karlsson ended a 29-game scoring slump with the second goal of his career, and added an assist, as the Senators won 2-0.
It’s that kind of stuff that helped make him the legend he in Ottawa. It’s that kind of stuff that will prompt fans here to show what he meant to them.
They’re excited that Erik Karlssons’ coming to town.