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It was no secret: San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson wanted a defender of the difference Erik Karlsson. The Sharks were a good team trying to flourish and try to win their first Stanley Cup.
Wilson – known for the acquisitions of the before Joe Thorntondefender Brent Burnsgoalie Martin Jones and forward Evander Kane in the past – makes a run to the center John Tavares in free agency.
When Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, Wilson stayed behind another player he had targeted before the NHL trade deadline on February 26.
"We sort of kept our powder dry, hoping that this kind of opportunity would materialize," Wilson said. "And that did it."
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Wilson acquired Karlsson and Ottawa Senators forward Francis Perron on Thursday for attackers Chris Tierney and defender Rudolfs Balcers Dylan DeMelo, the striker ahead of Joshua Norris, a first-round draft pick in the 2019 or 2020 draft and a second-round pick in 2019.
Karlsson, 28, is in the final year of his contract. If San Jose asks for an extension, Ottawa will receive a second qualifying turn in 2021 that would become a first-round pick if the Sharks reach the 2019 Stanley Cup final. If Karlsson is part of the Eastern Conference team this season, Ottawa will receive a first round pick before 2022.
At Karlsson and Burns, the Sharks have the two best offensive defensemen in hockey. Karlsson won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman of the NHL in 2012 and 2015. Burns won in 2017. Since 2011-2012, when Karlsson won the Norris the first time and Burns joined the Sharks Karlsson leads with 447 points. Burns is second with 383. Nobody else has more than 337.
"[Karlsson and Burns] together on the power play will be very dynamic, "Wilson said.
Yes. The Sharks should not be 16th in the NHL with 20.6%, as they were last season.
"All I have to do is give [Burns] the puck and, you know, usually she takes care of the rest, "said Karlsson.
With Karlsson, Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, perhaps the best defensive defenseman in the NHL, the Sharks have a formidable top three. Add to Justin Braun, and the Sharks have one of the top-two top-four in the NHL, if not the best. The only one that compares is the Nashville Predators Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm.
"I know I'm going into a group that will be very hungry to succeed every night, and I'm looking forward to doing it," said Karlsson. "That matches my personality and what I want to do too, so in this regard, I think they have an extremely competent team and I will be extremely excited about being part of this team. . "
This is clearly a difficult time for Karlsson. Even though the Senators went from the double overtime of the seventh game of the Eastern Conference final in 2017 to 30th place last season, even though there had been commercial rumors and the statement public reconstruction, he was shocked and saddened.
Video: Senators exchange Erik Karlsson at San Jose Sharks
He spent his entire nine-year career with the Senators. It was their captain. Fighting tears on Thursday, he called Ottawa his "forever home". He did not want to comment on the possibility of an extension with the Sharks, let alone engaging in one.
"For the moment, it's a private discussion and not something I'm going to develop," said Karlsson.
There will likely be a transition period for Karlsson personally and professionally once he has settled visa issues and will join the Sharks. But Wilson made it clear that the Sharks were looking for him in the short and long term, and one must think once that he will arrive in San Jose and play with these guys – from Burns to Vlasic to Braun through Thornton and Kane and Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl in the lead – there is a good chance that he will like it and decide to stay.
There is a good chance to win too, and that's all you can ask for in this crazy NHL.
The Golden Knights of Vegas, who defeated the Sharks in the second round of the Western Conference and the Winnipeg Jets in the conference final last season, signed the center Paul Stastny as a free agent on July 1 and traded for forward Max Pacioretty on Sunday. The Predators and Jets remain contenders in the West.
Video: Johnson and Parrish analyze Karlsson's trade
In the East, the Maple Leafs have added Tavares to their promising future. The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Stanley Cup champions remain in contention.
Several other teams are also in the mix.
"The whole league is competitive," Wilson said. "You look at the schedule, there is very rarely an easy game, and when teams come out and improve, it forces others to get better."
Sharks were only the last ones. Who is next?
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