Erik Karlsson To Stay Longer Than Expected

by DarrenM on Oct 14, 2009 3:21 PM EDT

Despite many observers - myself included - feeling that Erik Karlsson's play suggested he should be sent to the AHL (or SEL in Sweden) for the remainder of the year, Senators GM Bryan Murray has stated otherwise:

"Whether he's here for every game or whatever this year, I don't know that, but 10 games won't be the trigger point," said Murray today. "10 games is not going to be the measure of Erik Karlsson."

It seems pretty clear that the Ottawa Senators coaches and management have enough confidence in the kid that they are willing to burn off a year of his entry level contract. (For those unaware, once an 18 or 19 year old rookie plays 10 games, the first year of the contract is activated. If he plays less than 10 games and is sent down, he does not lose a year on his contract).

Considering the importance of having those entry level contracts in a salary cap NHL, and since the team already has 6 other defensemen who have played in the NHL, it's kind of baffling. Not to mention that Brian Lee is waiting in the wings as an extra defender if needed, and he has the requisite NHL experience.

Here are the numbers on Karlsson so far:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Erik Karlsson	5	0	1	1	-4	6	0	0	0	0	11	0.0

As I said in my earlier post on Karlsson, the kid is going to be a special player soon, but I can't help but feel that the Ottawa Senators are really rushing his development. Obviously Karlsson is showing some pretty spectacular skill at practice, because he has not earned a full season in the NHL based on his five games to this point.

Tweet Comment 6 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I’m alright with that. Might as well see how it goes. And I do have a feeling this is, once again, Bryan Murray making a statement he doesn’t necessarily have intentions of living with. His comments let Karlsson know that he doesn’t have to worry so much, he can just get back to playing his style.

www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Oct 14, 2009 6:53 PM EDT reply actions

I think its completely illogical to send him down for an extended period of time. I don’t know what you guys on that side of the fence were expecting from a 175 pound rookie from Sweden, but he has met and exceeded my expectations.

I knew what kind of skill this kid had, but he has done some remarkable things in his own end that are clearly going overlooked. His ability to regain possession of the puck is remarkable for his lack of experience and size. Likewise, he is already the best passer/outletter on the team.

He may indeed require some seasoning in the AHL or even the pressbox, but I certainly disagree with the “save time on his ELC” sentiment. The important contract consideration is staggering renewal years for he, Cowen, and Wiercioch. Imagine we keep Karlsson out of the NHL for another year and then Wiercioch makes the jump next year…We’d have to renew all three in the same goddam year!! That would be the real mistake.

The kid has the intelligence and the self-respect/esteem/control/etc to overcome these initial struggles. He also has the backing of a man thats been involved in hockey for the past 50 years… I think we should all defer to that guy… He seems to know what he’s doing.

by 80 on Oct 14, 2009 7:04 PM EDT reply actions

Some excellent points in there. Thanks for it.

It doesn’t really change my opinion of the issue, but the renewal years thing is something I hadn’t really considered.

Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.

by DarrenM on Oct 14, 2009 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s a pain in the butt to have to consider EL contracts but it actually makes sense to keep him down for that reason.

Instead of worrying about having to sign all three in the same summer (as opposed to one in one year and two the next which is almost as bad) it’s more beneficial to the team to have all three out-performing their EL contracts at the same time and to push those contributions as far back as possible so that the team can use the savings to fill other holes.

I think I underplayed that aspect last year when the Luke Schenn debate was raging but the Penguins were able to fill a lot of holes last year because Evgeni Malkin was still on his EL contract.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Oct 15, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s a tough call. It’s too early to decide if the Sens are hoping to make a run for the playoffs or see this as another step in the rebuilding.

If it’s a run for the playoffs (which I think is the goal, obviously), a decision has to be made on whether or not Karlsson is helping the team overall, or will help the team come playoff time. If he’s not, might as well send him down or back.

If playoffs are out of hand (I hope not), it’s a decision between whether to let him get the NHL time to learn the ropes, or whether to save the EL years until he can contribute meaningfully to the team’s success.

The Leafs decided last year that Schenn wasn’t going to be a liability, and that it was worth his EL year to give him NHL experience. Looks like Bryan Murray decided that’s the case with Karlsson, too, because whether he plays 20 games or 82, it’s still a year off that entry-level deal.

www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Oct 16, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Thing is, I think that you send Karlsson down either way. I don’t think he’ll help a playoff run (he’ll be a liability. He’s the guy that opposing coaches exploit with their line-ups), and its better for his development, either way, to spend a year in the AHL.

Last night confirmed it for me.

Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.

by DarrenM on Oct 16, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions