Karlsson home in Sweden with resurgent Penguins for Global Series, eyes Olympic spot

STOCKHOLM – Erik Karlsson is ready for the spotlight in his home country and, he hopes, the Olympic stage.

Karlsson, a three-time Norris Trophy winner as the League’s top defenseman, will be one of the marquee attractions in the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal when his Pittsburgh Penguins (9-5-3) take on the Nashville Predators (5-9-4) at Avicii Arena on Friday (2 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN) and Sunday (9 a.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN).

The 35-year-old Landsbro native also has his eye on a spot on Sweden’s roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Karlsson, who represented Sweden the last time NHL players participated in the Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014 when he was 23, said it would mean, “obviously a lot,” to get another chance to do it in Milano Cortina.

“Ever since it got announced, I think everybody who’s on that radar, it’s something that we all want to be a part of and be able to do,” Karlsson said Thursday. “On the day-to-day basis, I don’t think you walk around and think about it too much, but in the big picture, it’s, obviously, something that we’re all striving for.”

In his 17th NHL season, including the past three with Pittsburgh, Karlsson has played a key role in the Penguins’ revival with a resurgence of his own. Karlsson has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists), a plus-6 rating and has averaged a team-high 23:37 ice time in 17 games to help Pittsburgh be one of the NHL’s surprise teams so far this season.

Although expected to rebuild after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past three seasons, the Penguins are third in the Metropolitan Division with 21 points, one behind the second-place Carolina Hurricanes.

“He’s been great,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “He’s a special player. He’s someone who can make something out of nothing. He’s a ton of fun to play with and for people here to get the opportunity to see him up close live, I think just all the things that he can do out there and what he can create and the career that he’s had, I’m sure that it means a lot for him to have this opportunity. But he’s had a great start to the season.”

Karlsson struggled at times during his first two seasons with the Penguins after being acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Aug. 6, 2023. He had 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) in 82 games in 2022-23 with San Jose to become the first defenseman to get 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch with the New York Rangers in 1991-92. He also won the Norris for the third time (2012, 2015 with the Ottawa Senators).

Karlsson’s offensive production dropped after the trade, though, to 56 points (11 goals, 45 assists) in 82 regular-season games in 2023-24, and 53 points (11 goals, 42 assists) last season while he scuffled on the defensive side of the puck as well. His minus-24 rating last season tied for sixth worst in the NHL.

The arrival this season of first-time NHL head coach Dan Muse, who replaced the departed Mike Sullivan, seems to have revitalized Karlsson’s game as he’s playing with confidence at each end of the rink.

“The past couple of years maybe he didn’t feel like his game was exactly where he wanted it to be, but honestly, that wasn’t really even part of the conversation,” Muse said of his first meeting with Karlsson. “It was just I was excited to get an opportunity to get to know him, excited to get an opportunity to work together with him. I’ve seen what he’s done in the League for a long time, so the expectation is he is a world-class defenseman and to be that and he’s shown that.

“I think he’s been playing really well, and it’s been at both ends of the ice.”

Karlsson understands the questions about his and the Penguins’ turnarounds this season but said it’s hard to pinpoint a reason for it because, “I don’t really think there’s one specific one.”

“I think we came into this year (and) everybody was motivated to be better and have a good year for themselves,” he said. “We had a good training camp. I think the coaching staff has done a good job of getting everybody prepared and getting everybody what they need and, obviously, we’ve managed to win some early games here and that makes everything a little bit easier.

“It makes it easier to move forward and build on the good things and clean up some of the other stuff. So, I think it’s just a mix of a lot of things. It just happened to come together for us. Why that happened, I don’t really care. I’m just happy that it did.”

Karlsson’s play this season has strengthened his case for a spot on Sweden’s Olympic team. A year ago, some in Sweden and North America were questioning why he’d been picked to play in the 4 Nations Face-off. He answered his critics with a standout performance in the February 2025 tournament, which also included teams from the United States, Canada and Finland.

He tied forward Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings for first on Sweden with three points (one goal, two assists) and averaged 18:09 in ice time in three games.

“I think everyone that watched 4 Nations tournament saw how great of a player he is and rising to the occasion there,” said Predators forward Filip Forsberg, a Ostervala native who also will likely be selected to Sweden’s Olympic team. “People were questioning it, whether it’s here or back in the U.S., and he just played lights out.

“He was probably our best player at that tournament, and I think that probably gave him a lot of confidence as well.”

Despite Karlsson’s performance at 4 Nations, he was not among the first six players named to Sweden’s preliminary Olympic roster on June 16, a group that included two defensemen -- Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres. Each team’s complete 25-player roster is due at the end of the calendar year.

Sweden coach Sam Hallam acknowledged last month that selecting the eight defensemen for the team (including Hedman and Dahlin) will be difficult because of the country’s depth at that position. In addition to Hedman, Dahlin and Karlsson, Sweden has a host of quality defensemen to choose from, including Gustav Forsling of the Florida Panthers, Mattias Ekholm (Edmonton Oilers), Jonas Brodin (Minnesota Wild), Hampus Lindholm (Boston Bruins), Rasmus Andersson (Calgary Flames), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto Maple Leafs), Rasmus Sandin (Washington Capitals), Philip Broberg (St. Louis Blues) and Adam Larsson (Seattle Kraken).

“It’s eight and we’re going to play six, so there’s going to be a couple of really good Ds outside that’s not going to make the team,” Hallam said. “Then, we’re still going to have some good Ds not playing and not dressing.”

Karlsson is already well established as one of the best defensemen from Sweden to play in the NHL. Only Hockey Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom has more NHL points (1,142) and more Norris Trophy wins (seven) among defensemen born in Sweden. Karlsson played a key role in helping Sweden win the silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics with eight points (four goals, four assists) in six games.

Forsberg expects Karlsson to be a key player for Sweden in Milano Cortina as well. He hopes Karlsson saves his best hockey for that tournament, though, and the Predators can get the best of him and the Penguins in the NHL Global Series.

“Hopefully, he will have a couple too many meatballs this weekend,” Forsberg said. “So he can take it easy on us, but by Olympic time he will be good again.”