SENTRE OF ATTENTION
Speculation rampant about Karlsson’s future
OTTAWA — The talk surrounding Erik Karlsson’s future with the Ottawa Senators has suddenly reached a feverish pitch.
The Senators don’t want to trade their captain and franchise player, but word around the National Hockey League is that they’re listening to offers.
With the annual trade deadline falling at 3 p.m. on Monday, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion isn’t shopping the 27-year-old Karlsson, but teams have called because his long-term future is uncertain with his contract set to expire on July 1, 2019.
Listening is part of Dorion’s job, even if these are offers he can easily refuse.
As has been reported, the expectation is that any team wanting to acquire Karlsson must also commit to taking winger Bobby Ryan and his $7.25-million on the salary cap through 202122. That’s a big commitment in addition to a package that would include high-end prospects and firstround draft picks.
Three league executives told Postmedia they doubted Karlsson would be moved before Monday’s deadline, but the fact the Senators are listening may setting a tone for the off-season, when they are expected to sit down with their top player to see if he wants to sign a contract extension to remain in Ottawa or not.
That being said, one executive noted the Senators may have a chance to strike while the iron is hot in the off-season. For now, the market would be limited.
“I suspect they wouldn’t get their (best value right). You’d have more teams vying for him in the summer,” a league executive said.
While Karlsson and winger Mark Stone are considered the only untouchables at this deadline, the Senators aren’t sure Karlsson will sign an extension after July 1, when talks can commence, nor do they know what his demands might be on a eight-year deal, but the guessing is somewhere in the range of $10-million to $12-million per season.
If the Senators can’t get Karlsson to buy into a plan to stay in Ottawa, they’ll have a pretty good idea what teams are willing to offer if it gets to the point of talking trade in June, July or August.
For the sake of comparison, parts of the deal that sent defenceman Dion Phaneuf to the Los Angeles Kings last week were first put in place at the NHL draft in Chicago last June.
The Senators’ first priority is to keep Karlsson. They want him to be part of the solution, but both sides have to agree. The team must be willing to ante up to his salary demands and he would have to willing to sign on for what would will be a re-tool on the path back to respectability.
If you want a list of the teams interested in Karlsson, just write down the other 30 teams. Every club wants Karlsson but the one everybody has circled is Thursday’s opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning, because it’s believed they’ve expressed interest several times.
The Lightning is already considered a Cup contender. Can you imagine what would happen if they added Karlsson? The thinking is that, if anybody is going to pay the price the Senators are asking, they’ll want Karlsson for two playoff runs. That makes sense.
Can anybody really take on Ryan’s contract as well, though? The answer to that is no because they can’t clear the cap space, and anybody with the assets to pay the price for Karlsson can’t add that kind of cash.
Dorion has stated several times the club’s priority is to keep Karlsson, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty. The thinking is he likes being in Ottawa, but maybe not with a team that will undergo changes and may take a step back competitively in the short term.