Senators trade Karlsson to Sharks
Ottawa reshuffles; getting four players and two draft picks
OTTAWA — The Erik Karlsson era is over in Ottawa.
The Senators traded the star defenceman to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, just one day before Ottawa hits the ice for training camp.
The Senators dealt Karlsson and forward prospect Francis Perron to the Sharks.
Ottawa gets forwards Chris Tierney and Rudolfs Balcers, defenceman Dylan DeMelo, prospect forward Josh Norris and two conditional National Hockey League draft picks. If San Jose re-signs Karlsson, Ottawa receives a conditional 2021 secondround selection — or a firstround pick (not lottery protected) if the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup final in 2019.
“I don’t think that I’ve ever in my wildest imagination thought that I would ever leave this place,” said Karlsson in an emotional news conference. “But, unfortunately, we’re here under these circumstances and, again, that’s not something I’m going to go into detail about.
“I was prepared to come here and work hard for this team. I still have a year left on my deal but unfortunately I couldn’t follow that through.”
Ottawa receives San Jose’s first-round choice in either 2019 or 2020 (not lottery protected). If the Sharks miss the playoffs in 2018-19, it will be a 2019 selection, otherwise it will be in 2020. Ottawa gets a second-round choice in the 2019 draft from San Jose (which will be the higher of the two picks the Sharks currently own — the Florida Panthers’ and their own).
“Erik is an exceptional hockey player whose skills delighted our fans for the past nine years,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. “We thank him for his dedication to hockey, and we wish him all the best.
“This is the right moment for us to rebuild our team, and shape our future with a faster, younger and more competitive team on the ice. We are going to build a culture of consistency which will allow this team to sustain better performance over the long term.”
The departure of the 28-yearold face of the franchise in recent years is the latest development in what has been a turbulent stretch for the Senators.
Things started to go sideways last fall in the nation’s capital after the club returned from a two-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in Sweden, going an ugly 1-9-3 over its next 13 to begin a tumble down the standings
Then on the eve of franchise’s showcase outdoor game in midDecember, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said he might move the team if ticket sales didn’t improve.
That launched the #MelnykOut hashtag on Twitter the same month, and while Melnyk eventually backtracked on the relocation talk, some fans decided to vent their frustration by raising money to fund a series of billboards featuring the slogan.