CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Erik Karlsson is one of the premier defensemen of his generation, similarly decorated to centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and fellow defenseman Kris Letang. But there’s one clear difference.
The Stanley Cup.
"I have zero,” the 34-year-old said Wednesday. “Some guys have three.”
Crosby, Malkin and Letang won championships together in 2009, 2016 and 2017. That last one came at Karlsson’s expense, defeating his Ottawa Senators 3-2 with Chris Kunitz scoring in the second overtime of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 25, 2017.
In his 16th NHL season, Karlsson is still on a chase he would prefer to end in Pittsburgh.
“I know they want to win just as badly as I do,” Karlsson said.
Karlsson has two more season after this remaining on the eight-year, $92 million contract ($11.5 million average annual value) he signed with the San Jose Sharks on June 17, 2019. So, what if a championship doesn’t appear to be in the cards around the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7?
“I think that's a question that's up in the air,” he said. “There's some controllables in there and some that aren't, so I don't really know where that's at right now. Right now, I'm just focused on trying to get in the playoffs for this year because I know if we have that opportunity, I think this team is well equipped to do more than we probably could in an 82-game season."
The Penguins (17-17-8) are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference entering a home game against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SN, TVAS).
Karlsson was acquired from the San Jose Sharks on Aug. 6, 2023, in a three-team trade also involving the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, he said it was his best chance to finally win an elusive championship.
There had been an elite standard in Pittsburgh since 2006-07, when Malkin and Letang joined Crosby. Adding Karlsson was viewed as a potential piece to at least one more run.
Instead, the Penguins missed the playoffs for a second straight season in 2023-24 (38-32-12). Karlsson led their defensemen with 56 points (11 goals, 45 assists) in 82 games.
There’s a difference this season, though.
“I think ‘Karl’ has played his best hockey as a Penguin, probably, in his last six-plus weeks,” coach Mike Sullivan said.
Through the first 23 games this season, Karlsson had 12 points (two goals, 10 assists). The Penguins were 7-12-4.
He then had three assists in a 5-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 27, the first of four straight. Karlsson hasn’t dipped since with 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 19 games. Pittsburgh is 10-5-4 in that stretch, despite losing their past three in a shootout or overtime.
“Some of the plays he’s making offensively, I think, have really helped us,” Sullivan said. “He has the ability to make a lot of subtle plays that, quite frankly, most guys can’t make. That’s what he’s doing for us here in the last six, seven weeks. He’s played his best hockey as a Penguin, without a doubt.
“I don’t think it’s by coincidence that the last six or seven weeks, Karl has been at his best and our record has improved dramatically through that timeframe also. I think that’s one of the reasons. It’s not the only reason, but it’s certainly one of the reasons. He has the ability to have that kind of an impact on the game.”
It’s worked both ways.
“I think we’ve been playing a lot better as a team lately, which automatically is going to translate into every individual having a little bit more success, especially on the stat sheet,” Karlsson said. “That’s what I’m most excited about. It just feels like it’s easier to play the game, not only for me but for everyone. Hopefully, we can keep moving forward and get even better than we were when we were feeling at our best so far this season.”
As a leader, Karlsson is different, Sullivan said. He’s not Crosby, Malkin and Letang, looking to lift the Cup yet again. And he’s not Bryan Rust, who won it twice in his first three seasons and is now in his 11th with the Penguins.
Karlsson’s outlook isn’t the same. But it’s just as valuable.
“I think Karl has a lot of respect for our guys that have been here that have won Stanley Cups,” Sullivan said. “He obviously has aspirations to win the Stanley Cup; it’s one of the reasons why he came here. He’s hungry. Having said that, I think Karl also has strong convictions in how he sees the game and wants to play it. So, we’ve got a lot of alpha males in that room that have similar strong convictions in how they see the game and how they want to play it. I say that in the most complimentary way to all of them.
“I think that’s what makes them great, or that’s one of the things that makes them great. So, I think Karl adds a certain perspective. Playing the game the way he’s played it throughout his career, that’s good for our group. It challenges our guys, all of us, with ideas. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We want to win.”
