Karlsson braces for season-ending surgery on thumb
SAN JOSE » Defenseman Erik Karlsson will have surgery this week to repair the broken left thumb that will keep him out for the rest of the year, although he said he would like to practice again with the Sharks before the offseason.
Karlsson was injured Friday when the Sharks beat the Winnipeg Jets, 3-2. They then topped the Minnesota Wild 2-0 on Saturday. The Sharks (26-28-4) have 24 games left, including today’s game with the Florida Panthers.
“If we go on a run here and we’re in it, then timelines might change,” Karlsson said Sunday when asked if he’d like to practice again. “But right now, it’s going to be until the end of this year. If I don’t play hockey again until September, that’s a long time. Got to try and
find a way to stay a little bit in it, not have that long of a break.”
Karlsson said he will fly to Los Angeles today for the surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Steven Shin, the same surgeon who has performed hand operations on Warriors star Steph Curry and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Karlsson said the broken thumb came as a result of a slap shot he blocked from defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in the third period of Friday’s game. Karlsson was standing in front of the Sharks’ crease and had just finished checking Mark Scheifele when he was hit by Kulikov’s shot from just inside the blue line.
“It (stinks),” Karlsson said. “Unfortunately it’s one of those things you can’t really control or protect yourself against. It’s a fluke thing. We block a lot of shots out there and there’s a lot of times where you get hit bad, and unfortunately this one was just a bad situation that hit in the wrong spot.”
Karlsson is third on the Sharks this season with 74 blocks, behind Brent Burns (89) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
“If you start playing on the perimeters, maybe you can stay injury free, but that’s not the way I like to approach things,” Karlsson said. “I am where I want to be and I can’t go any further. So, I’m going to give it my all all the time. And I get hit by a puck and broke my thumb.”
Karlsson, who leads the Sharks with 40 points in 56 games, said X-rays done in Winnipeg revealed the fracture. Once he meets with Shin, they will have a clearer idea of the extent of the damage.
“But from what (Shin) saw, it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before; it’s not something that’s complicated,” Karlsson said. “It’s just unfortunate . ... It’s not one of those where you can let it heal by itself.”
The Sharks had already lost Tomas Hertl for the season with torn ligaments in his left knee. Logan Couture is recovering from a fracture in his ankle and skated again Sunday, but there remains no clear timeline for when he might return.
Karlsson also left open the possibility that he could play for Team Sweden at the World Championships that run May 8-24 in Switzerland.
“If things don’t go as we want them to go here, then that’s definitely a possibility,” Karlsson said. “It’d be nice to play some hockey again and stay in it for as long as you can. Even though I enjoy the long summers and working out in the offseason and (how) that sets you up really well for the upcoming year, it’s not that much fun. I would like to play.
“It’s been a while since I played for Team Sweden. It’s something I take a lot of pride in and if I feel good come May and we’re not in it, I’d say it’s a good possibility that I would go do that.”