Silver Nuggets: Karlsson future; Early Calder Trophy candidates; Offensive potential

Greetings and salutations to all of my minions! With Steven Stamkos signing with Tampa Bay yesterday for a very reasonable 5 years $37.5 million, I started thinking of our star restricted free agent next season, Erik Karlsson. When should we sign him? The most likely case is that it will be after the end of next season. If Karlsson performs similar to last year, he can probably be had in the 4 years $14 million change. But should Karlsson have a stunning season putting up around 60 points and improved defensive play, could we be looking at a cap hit in the $5 to $5.5 million range? Karlsson is not eligible for arbitration, so he can't be protected from offer sheets should the Senators fail to sign him before July 1.

With that, here are today's links:

• Without knowing which players will make their respective clubs, here is a preliminary look at some candidates for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year. David Rundblad is ranked second, and Mika Zibanejad is tenth. (Senshot)
• Will the Senators struggle to score goals like they did last season? Probably, but it should still improve from the worst in club history. With Erik Karlsson, Sergei Gonchar and David Rundblad, the Senators have one of the most offensively talented defencemen in the NHL. Not to mention Jason Spezza and the other young forwards eager to make a mark. (Senshot)
• Jean-Gabriel Pageau doesn't just have an awesome name that rolls off the tongue, but he is also determined not to let his small size get in the way of his NHL dreams. He spends a lot of time talking with fellow Gatineau native Daniel Briere, another small forward, on what it takes to make it in the NHL. (Ottawa Senators)
• Here is an another interview that The 6th Sens guys did with a Senators prospect. This time it is Shane Prince. (The 6th Sens)
• Hockey's Future has a review of the Ottawa Senators draft picks. It's more of a summary though than an analysis. (Hockey's Future)
• Greg Wyshynski asked his followers earlier about which players he thinks benefit more from reputation than skill, or being famous instead of good. Based on the last season alone, his four picks are Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin Brodeur. (Greg Wyshynski)
• Can you name all the players who played for the Binghamton Senators in their Calder Cup run? Here is a quiz. (Sporcle)
• Former Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime is retiring and will be joining the RDS commentary team. Presumably, he will also be doing some Senators games then. Among goalies who played at least 40 playoff games in the post-expansion era (1968 onwards), Lalime retires with the best goals against average and third best save percentage. (Ken Warren)

When should the Senators re-sign Erik Karlsson?