What is going on with Sharks Erik Karlsson?

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MarcO
November 2, 2022 (5:39 PM)

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The San Jose Sharks are having an abysmal season, as they find themselves in the bottom half of the NHL standings.

For the past few years, the performance of the California team has been in decline and with the change of general manager this summer, a rebuild seems inevitable for this team.

However, despite the Sharks' mediocre performance, there is one player who is rising from the ashes this season and that is Erik Karlsson.

The 32 year old defenseman, who seemed to be headed for a disappointing end to his career by being a shadow of his former self for the past two seasons, seems to have literally discovered the fountain of youth, as he is dominating the NHL like never before this year.

In 12 games so far, the Swede has an impressive nine goals and 15 points. Not only does he lead the league in scoring among defensemen, but he also leads the league in goals scored by a defenseman.

With a contract worth $11.5 million per season for five more years, Karlsson looked like a potential financial drain on San Jose's payroll.

After all, the man who was accustomed to putting up seasons of nearly a point per game in his career, had only 22 points, including eight goals in 52 games in 2020-2021 and 10 goals and 35 points in 50 contests in 2021-2022.

With such production right now, as well as a rebuild coming soon, is it possible to believe that the Sharks will be able to find a buyer for Karlsson, with an interesting return for the team?

It is quite plausible that San Jose will have to hold back part of the defenseman's salary, but with a deduction in his contract, he could become an interesting target for a team wishing to add an offensive punch to its roster.

An Erik Karlsson at $7.5M, for example, could greatly raise the stakes for a potential deal.

Do you think Erik Karlsson could be traded by the Sharks this season?

Credit: Marqueur.com