Snapshots: Karlsson, Raanta, Iginla
Erik Karlsson‘s name has come front and center once again as the last few days tick down before Monday’s trade deadline. There have been several reports that the Ottawa Senators intend to listen on offers for their superstar defenseman, but Darren Dreger of TSN has thrown some cold water on the speculation. Dreger tweets that the chance Karlsson is dealt by the deadline is low, even if GM Pierre Dorion is listening to offers.
Any team seriously interested in Karlsson at the deadline would need to put together a huge package, and perhaps even take Bobby Ryan‘s contract back as well. Those obstacles are in addition to a 10-team no-trade list that Karlsson has submitted, making a deal increasingly difficult to pull off. Still, if there is movement on him in the next few days the acquiring team would be getting one of the best defensemen in the world for two playoff runs, something that would surely vault them into the Stanley Cup contender list.
- Antti Raanta is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer, and many wondered if the Arizona Coyotes would move him at the deadline for whatever asset they could. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, that isn’t the plan for GM John Chayka and the rest of the Coyotes front office. Instead, they plan on trying to re-sign the 28-year old goaltender and keep him in the crease for the foreseeable future. Raanta is having an excellent season when healthy, with a .924 save percentage that puts him fourth among goaltenders who have started at least 30 games this season.
- Jarome Iginla is back skating after his latest injury, practicing with the Providence Bruins today. According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Iginla is just testing out his health and doesn’t have any contracts pending in the NHL. If Iginla does find a taker this season, he’d need to sign by the trade deadline on Monday to be eligible for the playoffs.
Snapshots: Karlsson, Tolvanen, Dotchin, Neuvirth, Greiss
There was a lot of quiet hope that when Ottawa star defenseman Erik Karlsson bought a new home in Ottawa back in August, that might suggest he intends to agree to a long-term extension when he’s eligible this year.
Don’t count on that, writes the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan.
Despite purchasing a new, expensive home in the Glebe before the season started, Karlsson suggested that has no meaning on his future. The 27-year-old will be a free agent in the 2018-19 offseason and constant rumors of whether he intends to stay in Ottawa have been talked about for months.
“I live here, and I’m going to live here no matter what,” Karlsson told Postmedia Saturday. “If not all year round, I’m going to live here during the summer. My wife is from here and this is where we’re set.”
- Adam Vingan of the Tennessean writes that while the Nashville Predators are open to signing top prospect and Finnish Olympian Eeli Tolvanen to an entry-level deal when his KHL season ends (anytime between early March and late April), don’t count on him making a major impact to the team. While Tolvanen, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, would be a cheaper alternative to making a major trade for a top-six forward, an 18-year-old likely will struggle initially, although a few players in similar situations fared well in the playoffs. He points out that Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy had three assists in six first-round playoff games last year and the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider did the same back in 2012 when he scored five goals in 18 postseason games.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have scratched defenseman Jake Dotchin five times in the last six games. The young 23-year-old defenseman has often found himself on the team’s top defensive pairing in the past, but suddenly can’t get on the ice. According to Tampa Bay Times Joe Smith, head coach Jon Cooper said he has been struggling on the ice of late. “He’s got some inconsistencies in his game,” said Cooper. Dotchin has played in 43 games this season and has three goals and 11 assists.
- The Philadelphia Flyers may have just found themselves looking for a goaltender on the trade market after the team lost goaltender Michal Neuvirth to a lower-body injury during the first period in today’s game against the New York Rangers, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. While its too early to know whether Neuvirth will miss an extended amount of time, the team already lost goaltender Brian Elliott for five weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery last week.
- The New York Islanders also may have some goaltending problems as goaltender Thomas Greiss, who just came off his best game of the season Friday when he shutout the Carolina Hurricanes, did not practice today as he tweaked something. “He just tweaked something,” said head coach Doug Weight. “We’re going to have it looked at and make a final ruling here moving forward. We’re prepared for anything. Obviously Bridgeport is close so if we need to do something for tomorrow we’ll be fine.” If the injury is serious, the Islanders might also be looking for a goaltender at the trade deadline.
Senators Notes: Dorion, Anselmi, Karlsson
Armed with a new three-year extension, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has a tough task ahead of him, but he has already said that change is coming. He has stated that he has been listening to offers for the entire team with the exception of captain Erik Karlsson, winger Mark Stone and defenseman Thomas Chabot after a tough season which sees them in seventh place in the Atlantic Division after a season in which they went to the Eastern Conference finals last season.
The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch writes the real question is how big of a change will Dorion want to make at the deadline or during the offseason. Names have surfaced range from Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Dzingel, Cody Ceci, Dion Phaneuf and Johnny Oduya.
“The phone is always busy,” Dorion said. “We’ve put ourselves in the position that we are and people know that last year we had a lot of players that were key components to us getting to the final four teams. I think other teams are looking at us. We have the assets, but we’re going to make good hockey deals and that’s very important for this organization.”
The Senators are looking for established young players, who have NHL experience already as well as high-end prospects and picks. Of course, the team is unlikely to trade their whole team away either.
“These next three weeks are very important for the team that we need to set in place for the following years,” Dorion said. “At the same time, branding something, telling people exactly what our plan is, isn’t the best course of action. There will be changes that will be made.”
- Tom Brennan of The Ottawa Sun writes that the Ottawa Senators front office mayhem continued last week when they announced that president and CEO Tom Anselmi would be vacating his role. The scribe believes he resigned three weeks ago, because of what one source described as “craziness.” In 24 months, the Senators have gone through two presidents, three chief financial officers and three chief marketing officers. With the team struggling in attendance, hiring Dorion to an extension might have been one of the smartest moves owner Eugene Melnyk has done in quite a while and shows that he wants stability within the organization.
- The Ottawa Sun’s Ken Warren writes that with the news that the Senators are taking a step back and trying to rebuild the team will only hasten the departure of Karlsson. Why would Karlsson want to stay on a team with front office instability and has already admitted they intend to rebuild? On top of that, Warren believes the team likely doesn’t want to commit $80-$100MM. It looks more likely the team would be more likely to shed salary.
- In the same article, Warren also points out that Dorion still has a lot to prove as general manager. While he’s drafted well, some of Dorion’s moves have been questionable, including trading prospect Jonathan Dahlen for fourth-liner Alexandre Burrows, whose contract is only holding the team back. Exposing defenseman Marc Methot in the expansion draft didn’t help as he was a great partner to Karlsson. The scribe also adds that he believes the team overpaid for both Pageau and Smith.
Snapshots: Blues, Thornton, Lewis, Lightning
In a mailbag column, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford writes (subscription required) that while the Blues have been linked with a number of high-profile teams such as the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers, it’s unlikely the team will make a big move for a big name forward with years on his contract like a Max Pacioretty or a Mike Hoffman despite recent rumors to the contrary.
Due to the high trade demands being made for these players, Rutherford believes that trading a top prospect for a player who has a large contract to fit into their salary cap space doesn’t make a lot of sense as the team wants to have as much flexibility when free agency arrives this summer. Instead, the scribe believes the team needs to go the rental route and acquire a player (for a much cheaper price) so the team can make their run.
The team already is without their 2018 first-round pick which they traded for Brayden Schenn, so moving a top prospect could set the team back long-term. The team should look into a player such as Rick Nash, Michael Grabner or Patrick Maroon as options as they likely won’t cost them one of their top prospects in Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas or Klim Kostin.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that alarms should sound after San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton refused to say that he will definitely be back this season. That’s a surprise considering he is a player who last year played through torn MCL and ACL injuries during the playoffs. Historically, he’s been a player who goes out on the ice no matter how hurt he is, so the idea that he might not be back this season suggests the injury is worse than people think. Could he have already played his last game as a San Jose Shark?
- Fox Sports West Patrick O’Neal tweets that Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis was sent back to Los Angeles to be re-evaluated after being injured in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. While indications are that the injury isn’t serious, head coach John Stevens wanted to have him evaluated after he sustained a serious crash against the boards.
- Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that the rumors of a potential Ottawa Senators-Tampa Bay Lightning deadline deal refuses to go away. He writes that there have been a number of rumors, including talk of Erik Karlsson, and points out that Ottawa’s chief scout is expected to be at the Tampa Bay game tonight.
Deadline Primer: Ottawa Senators
With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up are the Ottawa Senators.
It certainly hasn’t been the year that the Ottawa Senators imagined after a deep playoff run just a year ago. With a combination of veterans and young talent, including two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, it looked like the team was trending in a positive direction. Very little has gone right as the Senators are struggling in a weak Atlantic Division and while they haven’t been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the team has little to no chance. The team’s struggles have suddenly made the team sellers, but what are they willing to move?
Record
17-25-9, 7th in Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$5.8MM – full-season cap hit, 0/3 retained salary transactions, 49/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: OTT 1st (only if it’s a Top-10 pick), OTT 3rd, OTT 4th, OTT 5th, OTT 6th, OTT 7th, NYR 7th
2019: OTT 1st (unless Ottawa kept 2018 pick), OTT 2nd, OTT 4th, OTT 5th, OTT 6th, OTT 7th
Trade Chips
While there have been constant assurances from Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion that the team will not trade Karlsson, especially before the trade deadline, there remains constant rumors and suggestions that teams might make major offers to pry the team’s captain away as rumors continue to surface that while he loves Ottawa, he doesn’t believe ownership will be able to deliver a winner. The team could get better much faster if they can get a great return on Karlsson.
However, assuming Karlsson stays put, the team has made numerous other players available, the most notable would be winger Mike Hoffman, who the team believes it should also be able to get a good return for. The 28-year-old center still has two more years on his contract after this one and has scored 92 goals over the past four seasons. Throw in the fact that centers are at a premium and the team could benefit greatly from a deal centering around Hoffman.
Five Players To Watch For: W Alexandre Burrows; C Mike Hoffman; D Erik Karlsson; D Johnny Oduya; C Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Team Needs
1) Unloading High-Priced Contracts: If they can find a taker for one of their two most bloated contracts in defenseman Dion Phaneuf or perhaps more importantly forward Bobby Ryan, that could fix a lot of the team’s problems. If the team could free up some cap space, then they can make a competitive offer in a year to extend Karlsson, who is looking to break the bank. However, Phaneuf still has three more years after this one at $7MM per year, while Ryan has four more years at $7.25MM. Neither would be particularly easy to unload without retaining a large chunk of their salaries.
2) Young experienced talent/Picks: While the team has a lot of youth, what the team really needs is to form a nucleus around center Matt Duchene, who they traded for during the season. The team has a lot of young talent, but what they need is young players who have already established themselves somewhat in the league and won’t be a liability early on as they try to transition to the NHL. As for picks, the team traded away their 2018 first-rounder in the Duchene trade, but (fortunately for them) it was top-10 protected which could give the Senators the chance to keep the pick for this year. However, if that’s the case, then the first-rounder will transfer to 2019. Replacing that lost first-rounder should be a key priority for a team that is struggling.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Odds Of Drafting A Superstar And The 2018 NHL Draft
Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Tyler Dellow went to work trying to figure out how the Ottawa Senators could maximize their trade return (subscription required) for Erik Karlsson, should the team decide to move the all-world defenseman prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on February 26th or at least before the 2018 NHL Entry Draft on June 22nd. Dellow surmised that in order to get anywhere near a fair return for Karlsson, Ottawa would need to acquire draft picks that could give them the best chance of finding a “franchise cornerstone” to replace him. The best-case-scenario for the Sens would obviously be to land the #1 overall pick in the lottery and the opportunity to draft the consensus top pick, Karlsson clone Rasmus Dahlin – a scenario that would not even require moving Karlsson. However, with the Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres likely having better lottery odds and another 12 teams having a chance at the top pick as well, its unlikely that the Senators choose first overall. Dahlin’s generational talent also means the lucky team that lands #1 isn’t moving it, even for Karlsson. So what then is the chance of finding a superstar in the draft? Dellow’s analysis produced these results:
- First pick: 90 percent,
- Second pick: 60 percent
- Third or Fourth pick: 15 percent
- Picks 5-20: 5 percent
- Picks 21-30: 2 percent
- Picks 31-60: 1 percent
- Picks 61+: .07 percent
While there is a considerable drop-off from the first pick to the second and the second to the third, it’s clear that picks #2 and #3 still hold immense value. Dellow goes on to describe the infrequency with which those picks are moved, citing Alexei Yashin-for-Jason Spezza and the drafting of Henrik and Daniel Sedin are rare recent examples. Dellow’s thesis continues that the current Vancouver Canucks could be a rare team willing to part with a high pick, if it meant landing Karlsson.
However what if Karlsson isn’t traded by the Draft – a situation that is far more likely than the media would make it out to be – would the normally untouchable top three picks be back off the table? Obviously, the results of the draft lottery matter immensely and the #1 pick will surely not be moved this year. More likely than not, #2 is going nowhere as well. Yet, the status of the 2018 draft class leads to much intrigue over the #3 pick, which historically has a 15% chance of landing a superstar. Unlike past years, there is no consensus second-best player in 2018. In some order, Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick were going 1-2 in 2017, as were Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine in 2016, and no one was going right behind Connor McDavid other than Jack Eichel in 2015. This year’s crop offers a situation unlike the last few seasons, wherein Dahlin is guaranteed to go first overall – and will be off the draft board of everyone but the lottery winner before the draft even begins – but the following picks are unpredictable. At #2, it could be Russian sniper Andrei Svechnikov, sleek Czech forward Filip Zadina, big, skilled Americans Brady Tkachuk or Oliver Wahlstrom, or a D-needy team with the second pick could even go off the board for a defenseman.
The decision on the second overall pick in 2018 will undeniably result in the top player on many teams’ board being selected, but the top player on many other teams’ board falling to #3. If that team at third overall was hoping to take the player selected at #2, now things could get interesting. According to Dellow’s results, the team at #3 has now lost a 45% chance of finding their next franchise player, but could trade out of the pick and still end up with one (or more) top 20 pick(s), each with a 5% chance of becoming a star, as well as possibly an established pick or player. If you put trust into a model like Dellow’s, a deal like this becomes much more about math and odds than simply taking the risk of trading back out of disappointment with the draft order.
Going back to the Karlsson-to-Vancouver hypothetical, imagine that the Canucks land the #3 overall pick while the Senators have a pick in the 5-20 range, either by the lottery or an additional pick from an upcoming trade. Vancouver hypothetically wanted Zadina, who went #2, while the top player on Ottawa’s board was Tkachuk (or maybe a defenseman like Adam Boqvist). Vancouver could, as Dellow proposes, offer the Sens the third pick – and a 15% chance at a star – and a prospect like Olli Juolevi, the fifth overall pick in 2016 – who holds a 5% chance of becoming a star himself – as part of a larger package for Karlsson and a first. Ottawa nets a 20% chance of adding a cornerstone player, including at least one potential replacement on the blue line, and Vancouver holds onto a 5% chance of finding a star of their own with the later first rounder. The 10% loss for Vancouver is more than made up by the gain of a bona fide star in Karlsson. Could a deal like this happen? For sure. Will it? Probably not, but Dellow’s analysis of draft pick values and a seemingly volatile draft board in 2018 helps to illuminate the possibilities of some fascinating, unprecedented deals early on at the 2018 Draft.
Snapshots: Islanders, Prospects, Recruitment
The New York Islanders will be opening the doors on their new arena at Belmont Park in a few years, but for the time being they needed to find a place to play. Today, the team announced that they would play 12 games at Nassau Coliseum next season, and split time evenly between there and the Barclays Center again in 2019-20.
During the press conference, the Islanders executive group spoke about John Tavares and his pending free agency, saying that it is completely in his hands and that they want him to spend the rest of his career with the club. As Tavares focuses on getting the Islanders back into the playoffs, rumors will continue to bubble up about him going to another city—it certainly won’t be because they don’t want him back as an Islander.
- Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) has released his midseason draft rankings, and they will definitely raise an eyebrow or two. Pronman has long been a proponent of ranking potential stars over depth players, despite the risk that may be involved. That might explain his ranking of Ryan Merkley at #6 and Brady Tkachuk down at #15. Pronman’s rankings are just another example of how difficult this draft will be to project, as players fall in wildly different categories on various lists. It could lead to more trading on the draft floor, as teams try to acquire “their guy.”
- NHL players don’t turn down an opportunity to help improve their club, and the All-Star weekend was no different. Several reports, including Craig Custance of The Athletic, listed examples of players trying to recruit others that might be heading to free agency soon. Mike Green, Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson all heard it from players like Auston Matthews, while apparently Steven Stamkos was selling Tampa Bay to everyone who would listen.
All-Star Skills Competition Assignments Released
With the All-Star game one day away, many NHL fans often get more excited for the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition, which will be tonight. The NHL released the list of who will be participating in each of the six competitions with the winner of each receiving $25K.
Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater – Each skater is timed for one full lap around the rink.
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Rickard Rakell (Anaheim Ducks)
Noah Hanifin (Carolina Hurricanes)
Josh Bailey (New York Islanders)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Dunkin Donuts NHL Passing Challenge – Requires three skills over one round, including Target Passing (making four passes to a target that light up randomly), Give-and-Go (must complete four successful passes through a course in the neutral zone) and Mini Nets (must complete four passes over barricades and into mini-nets).
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
Brayden Schenn (St. Louis Blues)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes)
Eric Staal (Minnesota Wild)
Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)
Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)
GEICO NHL Save Streak – Goalies attempt to win by making the most consecutive saves against an opposing division on a minimum of nine shots.
Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) vs. Central Division
Connor Hellebuyck (Vancouver Canucks) vs. Pacific Division
Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators) vs. Metropolitan Division
Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas Golden Knights) vs. Atlantic Division
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) vs. Central Division
Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay – A timed event that involves three skills, including Stickhandling (where a skater must control a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line), Cone Control (where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation) and Gates (where a skater must shoot or choose to guide the puck through a lighted rung of a gate).
Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)
John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars)
Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
PPG NHL Hardest Shot – Over two rounds, each player will attempt two shots measured in miles per hour with the highest speed recorded.
John Klingberg (Dallas Stars)
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
P.K. Subban (Nashville Predators)
Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Honda NHL Shooting Accuracy – A timed event in which a skater is positioned 25 feet behind the goal line and must shoot at five LED targets in the goal. A target will light up and the players has three seconds to hit it.
Brian Boyle (New Jersey Devils)
Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets)
James Neal (Vegas Golden Knights)
Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)
Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Could Calgary Flames Make Pitch For Karlsson?
The Calgary Flames seem to be producing in all facets of the game despite a shootout loss today as they still haven’t had a regulation loss in eight straight games. Their top lines are producing, their defense seems to be beginning to develop the chemistry that everyone had hoped and goaltender Mike Smith has been a great acquisition. With everything going right for Calgary, it seems like the team isn’t likely to be too active at the trade deadline this year.
Yet, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes that despite all that, he wonders if the Flames should consider looking for an even bigger prize. With the recent rumblings about the possible availability of Ottawa Senators star defenseman Erik Karlsson, Francis wonders if Calgary should go for it all and trade for him now. While on the surface, a deal might seem unlikely as the Flames are already loaded with a group of solid defenders and have few draft picks to trade (just two picks in the first three rounds over the next two years).
The scribe writes that finding a spot for Karlsson would be the least of the team’s problems. He would be a welcome addition no matter how good their defense of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, Travis Hamonic and Michael Stone is. He would immediately help an average power play and could offer the team a multi-dimensional player. With some cap room to play with, Calgary could afford most of Karlsson’s contract ($6.5MM AAV) already, although that could end the team’s bid to re-sign Mikael Backlund during the offseason this year.
What could they offer? Quite a bit. While the team might lack draft picks after going out and acquiring Hamonic in the offseason, the team has a number of quality prospects, including Harvard University defenseman Adam Fox, considered to be one of the top college blueliners. They have two quality goaltending prospects in Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons as well as defensive prospects like Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington as pieces they can offer Ottawa.
Fox, who many believe may choose to stay at Harvard for four years and take the unrestricted free agency route to avoid Calgary’s already crowded blueline, might be the perfect trade chip while he still has value. Add in Andersson, Kylington and last year’s 2016 first-rounder in Juuso Valamaki and the team has quite a bit of defensive depth — perhaps too much.
Francis believes that the team might want to consider making a big move like acquiring a future Hall of Famer, who could take the Flames to another level as they start climbing up the Pacific Division and get ready for the playoffs. General manager Brad Treliving already once this year went out and acquired Hamonic as a big defensive addition. Why not one more?
Karlsson Rumors Starting To Heat Up Again
While trade talk surrounding top defenseman Erik Karlsson seemed to have died down in recent weeks, general manager Pierre Dorion has recently stirred the rumor mill right back up again after making comments about Karlsson on Thursday to NHL.com’s Chris Stevenson.
“Our first priority with Erik is to sign him,” Dorion said. “He’s a special player, but Wayne Gretzky got traded, so, if a team offers you an offer you can’t turn down, you listen. But our first priority is to sign Erik Karlsson and [for] Erik Karlsson to be a Senator for life.”
The 27-year-old blueliner made headlines back in early December when he said that while he loves playing in Ottawa, he has no intention of taking a hometown discount when his contract expires after next season. The comments began much trade speculation which spiraled out of control and the Senators have worked hard to dismiss any interest in moving out their star player, until now.
However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had more to say Friday on Dorion’s comments on an appearance on Sportsnet’s 590.
“I guess they’re just laying the groundwork for the possibility (Karlsson) could get traded. I think that’s what they’re saying,” Friedman said. “Look, I think Erik Karlsson wants to be an Ottawa Senator for the rest of his career. That’s his first choice, to me. But I think there’s a lot of players there who doubt they can win under current ownership — I think he’s one of them. I think his preference would be to stay under different ownership. But I think the Senators sent the word out that ‘If you really are serious, give us a call with a serious offer.’”
Karlsson hasn’t been as effective as in previous years for Ottawa this year, although he remains the team’s top defenseman by far. The two-time Norris Trophy winner, who had 17 goals and 71 points last year, currently has three goals and 30 points in 38 games this year, although he spent his offseason recovering from foot surgery and needed time to return to form after missing time at the start of this season. He also sports a minus-19 plus/minus ratio.
Dozens of teams have been linked to rumors of interest in the star blueliner including the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Senators are expected to make several moves to rebuild after a disappointing season this year, could quicken a rebuild with a quality trade return for Karlsson, although Dorion does hold out hope they can lock up Karlsson to a long-term deal.