Erik Karlsson’s contract doesn’t expire until the end of the 2018-19 season and he isn’t even eligible to sign an extension yet, but when you’re the best defenseman in the NHL, everyone is focused on your future and (potential) availability. So, it’s no surprise that a question of his future was posed at practice Thursday. However, the surprise, at least for many Senators fans, was his answer, as retold by the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren:
“When I go to market, I’m going to get what I’m worth, and it’s going to be no less, no matter where I’m going… That’s the business part of it. That’s the way every player has been treated ever since this league has started, and I think the players have been a little bit on the other side of things when it comes to negotiations. I think it’s time to realize that when we go to the table, it’s business on both parts, not just (owners)… “I like it here, I’m comfortable here, I’ve been here my whole career… but at the end of the day, when it comes down to it, if it’s not the right fit and it’s not going to work out business-wise, then you’re going to have to look elsewhere because that’s what (owners) are going to do, as well.”
Karlsson isn’t incorrect – it is far more frequent in all pro sports to see a star athlete take a hometown discount to stay with a team than it is for a team executive to offer a premium contract to retain such an athlete. Karlsson clearly recognizes that he is one of the best in the game and is deserving of perhaps a record-setting contract, one that should at least erase P.K. Subban’s $9MM mark as the highest AAV ever handed to a defenseman. A Norris-caliber defenseman hitting the open market at the age of 28 is beyond rare and Karlsson is ready to cash in. However, the big question – and one that could plague the team for the next year plus – is whether the Ottawa Senators will be the club that ponies up for Karlsson’s massive promotion.
Sounds like largest D man contract ever
I just can’t see Ottawa giving Karlsson market value. This is a very “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario for the Sens. As long as they use an internal budget as opposed to the cap ceiling, they’ll be at a huge disadvantage if they have Karlsson on the books for his expected $12+ million salary. At the same time, the team is already having some issues with attendance due to their arena and losing Karlsson could turn that situation from troubling to downright dire. And if they lose Karlsson for nothing? Oof, talk about hitting someone while they’re down.
Good for him, screw the owners.
The owners pay out the exact same amount of money regardless of how it’s divided among the players.
What Karlsson is saying is that he’s going to get more and his teammates will have to take less.
Personally, I think the top players in the NHL should make more and the mid tier schmoes ($6 million a year for RNH? He’s not even 1/10th the player of McDavid, for example, let alone half) should make less.
But this changes nothing for the owners (except Melynk) because they pay out 50% of revenues and not a single penny more (via the escrow mechanism).
Don’t get all the hype he isn’t even as good defensively as Matthews
Yes I don’t get all the hype over the best defenseman in the league either. If only they could trade for Mathews and put him on D…
To be fair if i were the Sens i accept a Karlsson for Matthews trade. But not because of how they play D
Huh? Matthews isn’t a defenseman. Apples to oranges.
I believe that this is a bad situation for the team, Karlsson & owner. I am impatiently waiting for this to play out & this situation will have an effect on every team in the league along with the future contracts of every player. I realize that these guys are the best hockey players in the world & should be compensated very well, but 10 plus million a year? Where does this stop? Hockey players will need to take business classes just to keep up with the business side of hockey.
I’m sure Melnyk won’t be able to keep his mouth shut about his feelings on this. And I’m sure Alfie’s been in #65’s ear for quite some time. Those Swedes are tight like strings.
No problem with Karlsson’s demands. Hockey players are relatively underpaid compared to other North American professional athletes. Granted hockey isn’t as big of a revenue generator as the other sports, the bigger issue is raising the cap in hockey. I mean the cap is roughly $70m and teams are expected to fill out a 25 man roster (plus some guys who end up getting stashed in the minor leagues) with it. If owners have a problem with the star players commanding salaries like this, then the cap needs to be raised.
JT, everything that you say is dead on right. A good example of how not to manage the cap, see the Red Wings.
For sure, the cap needs to be raised, mostly to help the guys that do get buried in the minors & deserve a chance at the NHL level. I don’t know enough of the business side of the NHL, so I cannot comment on how much the cap needs to be raised.
If Doc rereads this, he may be able to help us out with cap numbers. Also, maybe Zach can share what he knows about this.
OMG! Biggdaddyt homer or what? It’s one thing to make a comment…but quite another to be an idiot lol.
Come on people…lets be a little more intelligent when we’re talking “actual” hockey here lol
Sorry for bad blood here, but I’m tired of homers trolling these sites when we are enjoying actual hockey sense. If you have nothing intelligent to say to the topic? Then stay in your homer sites and rap to your hearts content.