What to expect from Erik Karlsson

The San Jose Sharks recently acquired Swedish defensive dynamo Erik Karlsson. It is still very early in this transition process, but it is hard not to speculate on what might be possible with the Teal-wearing EK65.

San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has done it again. He has achieved another commercial success that will have a monstrous effect on the coming season. Erik Karlsson was acquired by the Sharks for 4 players, 2 selections and 2 conditional selections. EK65 is a first-generation defenseman who instantly makes this Sharks team a favorite for the Cup coming out of the West.

The trade could not have come at a better time for a player like EK65. He has just had a busy season with the Ottawa Senators. He was recovering from a very large ankle injury, but he was also facing an unstable changing room environment.

Still, Karlsson was able to score 62 points in 71 regular-season games in a confused Senators team. Last season it was a dead year, but with another recovery season and a new dressing room filled with talented teammates, it's not hard to say that Karlsson could regain his old form.

Although Karlsson's production declined slightly, its 62 points^rd on this team that has struggled to produce the offensive at times. 18 of these points occurred during Power Play, where EK65 is the deadliest. He uses his bad wrist and excellent vision to squeeze pucks into the shooting lanes. He always seems to find a teammate's stick blade or an opponent's skate to ricochet the puck toward the crease.

A simple statistic that illustrates his prowess on the special teams is his average that helps totals on the PP. Over the course of his career, Karlsson has averaged nearly 18.5 assists per season and 22.5 assists over the previous 5.

This is a ridiculous output from the blue line and a formula of success to which the San Jose Sharks are accustomed.

It's really exciting to have Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns on the first Power Play unit at the same time. Playing them left and right is a nightmare for opposing coaches.

One can already imagine that one or the other runs along the blue line in search of firing lanes, while the other jumps in the room surrounding the goal zone.

This is a nightmare scenario for any goalkeeper and the Sharks now have this option night and night.

Burns and Karlsson play a very similar game that relies on their size, speed and lethal fire to produce points. EK65 is a bit more defensive and Burns is a bit more risk taker, but both types can wreak havoc in the opposing zone. They are not afraid to leave their place on the point and rush into the game in order to create a game of hell for the opposing defenses.

The two of them Burns with 25 and Karlsson with 24 placed 1st and 2nd respectively in the attempts of precipitation by a defender during the period 2015-2017, stats by naturalstattrick. These are crazy numbers, with no other crack than the blue liner.

This type of zone pressure is hard to defend, especially with players like these two who have the sense of hockey and intangibles to create their own shot. It attracts the attention of many opponents, allowing other Sharks to follow the puck and receive a pass or rebound at home.

Karlsson's injury last season certainly weighed on his match. His points and his underlying statistics both fell significantly during the 2017-2018 season. Therefore, to better understand the expectations of 28-year-old defenders, it is best to use statistics from the years leading up to the debacle of last year.

One amazing thing about Erik Karlsson's ability to produce attacks is the way he was used by the Senators. In comparison, Burns starts a lot of his shifts in the offensive zone; while EK65 is used in a much more balanced way. Using my favorite visualization tool developed by Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) we can see the differences in use between the two actors.

Burns is deployed in the opponents' zone at a rate almost twice as fast as defensive zone starts. Pete DeBoer likes to use matches and trust Burns' ability to produce in the opponent's end; However, he is often protected from possibly difficult defensive assignment.

Looking now at Karlsson, we can see that Guy Boucher has a much more balanced approach to using his winning Norris Trophy defenders. It was deployed at about the same pace as in the offensive and defensive zone.

This was just the sample from last year, but throughout EK65's tenure in Ottawa, he stayed relatively the same, making his points total much more impressive than the previous season. I have the impression that Pete DeBoer will love using Karlsson in very similar match situations to the use of Burns for maximum ice time efficiency.

The defensive pairs have yet to be decided, but with the start of the training camp, we will more than likely see how these formations unfold. But regardless of their configuration, you can almost guarantee that Pete DeBoer will use them to create nightmarish match scenarios against the defense of opposing teams.

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The San Jose Sharks and General Manager Doug Wilson have once again managed an impressive new trade. The addition of Karlsson to an already extremely powerful blue line is a dream that becomes reality. There are still so many questions about this addition that need to be answered, but for now, EK65 is a shark, which makes them favorites for the Stanley Cup.