The Ottawa Senators finally ended the saga on Thursday when they traded captain and two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks, landing forwad Chris Tierney, four draft picks and three prospects in return.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun had full details of the trade:
San Jose now has two Norris Trophy defencemen on their blue line, with Karlsson joining forced with Brent Burns. Figuratively, the hype in San Jose is absolutely through the roof. You know, since it's rare for a team to own a pair of consistent 70-point defencemen.
It's certainly easy to call the Sharks the team to beat in the Western Conference; they'll certainly be in Stanley Cup contention. But is San Jose really the team to beat? Does getting Karlsson alone really take them from "contender" to "the team"?
No, it doesn't.
Sure, the Sharks have two franchise superstars on the back end. But who said Karlsson is going to have another 70-point season? The 2017-18 version of Karlsson was a bit slower and not as productive. That stems from foot surgery he had last summer, in which doctors had to remove a significant chunk of his ankle. That's not good for a player that relies so much on his speed and quickness.
And even if both Karlsson and Burns put up 70-point seasons - even though they'll be fighting for ice time and power play opportunities - that doesn't take away the other flaws on this Sharks' team.
Joe Thornton is entering his age-39 season, and there's little denying he's not a superstar anymore. He's been hampered with MCL and ACL injuries, are we really supposed to believe he has another 70-point season in him?
Joe Pavelski (now 34), played all 82 games last season and had 22 goals and 66 points. Solid, but he was nowhere close to the 30-goal form we're accustomed to seeing from him. It's safe to say he's on the downside of his career.
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San Jose did have to sacrifice the reliable Chris Tierney (17 goals and 40 points), in the Karlsson trade. Mikkel Boedker (15 goals and 37 points) was sent to Ottawa in the Mike Hoffman trade. The latter was then flipped to the Florida Panthers.
Sharks GM Doug Wilson also took a major risk in giving Evander Kane a seven-year contract worth $49 million. This is a player who has never played 82 games in a season (he's only played 70-plus four times), and whose production has gone up-and-down throughout his career. Chances are, Kane doesn't live up to that contract.
So yes, the Sharks have a terrific pair of blueliners, but are they both going to put up 70 points together? Will the ageing core really take them back to the Stanley Cup Final? Can the Sharks get by, despite dealing a couple of key role players in the offseason? These are a lot of questions they must answer.
Let's not forget the other stacked teams in the Western Conference the Sharks must deal with. The younger, faster and more skilled Winnipeg Jets reached the Western Conference Final in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Now, wait and see what Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine, Connor Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor can do for an encore.
Call them a fluke if you want, but the Vegas Golden Knights are going to be a force in their second season. Adding Paul Stastny via free agency and 30-goal power forward Max Pacioretty in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens will do wonders. The defending Western Conference champions may have gotten better. Scary thought.
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Oh, and who can forget the Nashville Predators? 2017 Western Conference champions? Followed it up with their first Presidents' Trophy? P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm may have something to say about San Jose having the best blue line in the NHL. Not to mention the Predators have six players who put up 50-plus points a year ago.
Laugh all you want, but the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are due for major bounce-back years. No way a Calgary team can underachieve with Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will lead Edmonton to a resurgent year. The two Albertan teams are faster, more skilled and deeper in all-around talent.
So as great as the Sharks are, consider Nashville, Vegas and Winnipeg as the three better teams. Consider Edmonton and Calgary on the same level as San Jose.
No, they don't have Norris Trophy blueliners, but the Flames and Oilers can beat the Sharks with their plethora of young playmakers. Keep in mind how much Edmonton dominated San Jose in the opening round of the 2017 playoffs. Karlsson alone won't turn the tables for the Sharks.
And one last thing: Let's keep in mind this is a Sharks team that has underachieved more than any other in the postseason in the 21st century. They've made the playoffs all but one year since 2004. Only one Stanley Cup Final to show for it. They've only escaped the second round four times.
Karlsson is a great add for the Sharks, but it's far too early to label them as a team to beat in the Western Conference. Other teams are deeper, younger and faster. If anything else, the Sharks are probably the the fourth or fifth best team in the west, even with two Norris Trophy blueliners.
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