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Penguins A to Z: Erik Karlsson has fallen well short of being what he needs to be | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins A to Z: Erik Karlsson has fallen well short of being what he needs to be

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
8522094_web1_AP24318753081904
AP
In 82 games this past regular season, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson had 53 points (11 goals, 42 assists).

With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason for a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 56 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.

Starting with Noel Acciari and going on through to Philip Tomasino (regrettably, there is no Z on the payroll), every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 24, four days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Erik Karlsson

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Age: 34

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 188 pounds

2024-25 NHL statistics: 82 games, 53 points (11 goals, 42 assists), 23:14 average ice time per contest

Contract: In the sixth year of an eight-year contract with a salary cap hit of $11.5 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2027. (The San Jose Sharks are retaining $1.5 million of Karlsson’s yearly cap hit for the remainder of the contract. Additionally, this contract contains a no-movement clause.)

Acquired: Trade, Aug. 6, 2023

This season: Since joining the team, Erik Karlsson has done something no other member of the Penguins has accomplished over the past two seasons by appearing in all 164 regular-season games the squad has played.

But in nearly two years since he joined the Penguins in one of the biggest trades in NHL history, Karlsson has fallen well short of accomplishing anything close to the seismic impact he was expected to offer.

His second season got off to a poor start as an undisclosed injury suffered a few days before the start of training camp in September sidelined him for the entire preseason.

Healing up by the time the regular season opened, Karlsson just seemed off by a step or two through the first weeks of 2024-25 as a result of his injury.

By November, Karlsson appeared to get back up to speed and managed to record a potent 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) even as he began to see less time on the top power-play unit.

After skating for Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off exhibition tournament, Karlsson’s production remained steady, albeit in a slightly underwhelming fashion. At the same time, his defensive game — a consistent liability throughout his dazzling career — seemed to regress along with the team’s overall defensive play.

Perhaps the low point for Karlsson in 2024-25 came during a 6-5 home overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Karlsson recorded two assists in that contest, he had two clunky turnovers that directly led to Maple Leafs goals.

A lethargic dump-in by Karlsson was recovered by Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe and quickly converted by forward John Tavares on a breakaway.

Then, during the final seconds of the second period, Karlsson made a blind spinning pass attempt that was stolen by Maple Leafs forward Mathew Knies, who scored on a breakaway.

During a four-game winning streak from March 9-15 that offered a bit of false hope towards postseason aspirations, Karlsson recorded a point in all four games, including the winning goal during a 3-2 overtime home win against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 11.

Karlsson finished the season on a bit of a quiet note, posting only four points (one goal, three assists) in his final 11 games.

The future: In his season-ending media availability a month ago on April 21, Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said he expects Karlsson “to be one of the people that pulls us from where we’re at and into contention.”

At the same time, Dubas bluntly stated Karlsson needs to be much better and even expressed some doubt in Karlsson’s commitment toward that pursuit.

If any of that means Karlsson will be back for a third season with the team, that’s a fair question.

A signing bonus of $5 million is believed to be due to him on July 1. While that won’t impact his overall salary cap hit, that’s real money the team that employs Karlsson on that day has to pay him. Assuming the Penguins are the ones who cut the check for that bonus, it would be easier to trade him to another team that would not be required to make that payment.

Other factors that will come into play with any potential trade for Karlsson are that he would have to waive his no-movement clause and the probability of salary retention. As the latter is concerned, the league’s overall salary cap limit is expected to rise this upcoming offseason and the Penguins will no longer have to retain salary for former defenseman Jeff Petry ($1,562,500) or forward Reilly Smith ($1.25 million).

So, the room to eat some of Karlsson’s cap hit will be there, especially for a team that isn’t expected to pursue the top free agents available this offseason.

While Karlsson’s game has plenty of warts, there’s always going to be a market for a right-handed defenseman who can create offensively. And while the Penguins probably won’t get back much in the way of an asset (player, prospect or draft pick), simply moving on from Karlsson and most of his salary cap hit might be the true reward for them.

And given where Karlsson is in his career (he turns 35 on May 31), his presence probably isn’t congruent with a franchise that won’t likely be a competitive entity next season.

Nearly two years after he arrived, Karlsson has fallen well short of being what the Penguins need him to be.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

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Categories: Penguins/NHL | Sports
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