Flames see Karlsson deal as good thing
SHENZHEN, CHINA Wakey, wakey.
As their alarms started to shake Friday morning in China, the Calgary Flames were greeted by news that probably packed the wallop of several cups of coffee — a Pacific Division rival had just traded for one of the NHL’s biggest stars.
In what was still the middle of the night in Shenzhen, the San Jose Sharks made a splash by landing defenceman Erik Karlsson in a trade with the Ottawa Senators.
The Sharks didn’t have to subtract any key pieces in the swap, either, parting with only two regulars — forward Chris Tierney and back-ender Dylan DeMelo — plus a pair of prospects and four draft choices.
Karlsson is a two-time Norris Trophy winner and has twice more been a finalist for the nod as the NHL’s best defenceman.
He’s piled up more points over his nine seasons than any other rearguard. (The second name on that list, Brent Burns, is also on San Jose’s blue-line.)
And at 28, Karlsson is still in the prime of his career.
His arrival certainly isn’t a positive development for other squads in the Pacific Division. Or maybe it is.
“It’s good, it’s good,” insisted Flames coach Bill Peters after Friday’s practice at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center. “I like playing against good teams on a consistent basis, because it makes you elevate your level and keeps you at a consistent high level.”
Flames captain Mark Giordano also put a positive spin on the trade. The Sharks finished third in the Pacific Division last season — 16 points better than Calgary — and have only missed the playoffs once in more than a decade.
“You look at their roster now and they ’re a strong team, they ’re a deep team and a team that we’re going to have to go through to get to where we want to be,” Giordano said of Karlsson’s new club. “But it doesn’t change anything on the way we’re going to do things this year. We feel like we have a good, deep team, as well.
“He is a great player and he’s going to help that team a lot. But we’re going to have to go through them anyway, so we’ll deal with it.”
The Flames and Sharks meet twice during their exhibition schedule and will face off four times in the regular season.