Sharks top Knights in Karlsson sweepstakes
Ottawa gets four players, picks for star defenseman
The Golden Knights swung one big trade this offseason. It appears they won’t swing a second.
The Ottawa Senators traded star defenseman Erik Karlsson to the
San Jose Sharks on Thursday. The Knights were reportedly close to a deal for the two-time Norris Trophy winner at the trade deadline in February and were considered one of the front-runners to land him this offseason.
Instead, the 28-year-old is heading to the Sharks, who gave up forwards Chris Tierney, Josh Norris and Rudolfs Balcers, defenseman Dylan Demelo, a first-round pick in 2019 or 2020, a second-round pick in 2019 and two conditional draft picks in the trade.
If San Jose re-signs Karlsson, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, the Senators will receive a 2021 second-round pick or a 2021 first-round pick if the Sharks reach the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Ottawa will get an additional first-rounder in 2021 or 2022 if Karlsson is on an Eastern Conference roster this season.
The Sharks also received prospect Francis Perron in the deal.
“It’s extremely rare that players of this caliber become available,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. “The word ‘elite’ is often thrown around casually, but Erik’s skillset and abilities fit that description like few other players in today’s game. With Erik, Brent Burns and Marc-edouard Vlasic, we feel we have three of the NHL’S top defensemen.”
San Jose’s odds were quickly adjusted at Las Vegas sports books. The Sharks moved from 20-1 to win the 2019 Stanley Cup to 10-1 at the Westgate sports book, which also moved San Jose’s odds to win the Western Conference from 10-1 to 7-1.
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ Bensgotz on Twitter.