Even Erik Karlsson's biggest fans cannot deny the goldmine of NHL talent that remains from his trade to San Jose in 2018.
If anyone wonders why some Senators fans get a little skittish about the eventual fate of Brady Tkachuk, one only needs to look at their history of stars (including beloved captains) leaving in free agency or trades.
You can look at players like Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara leaving as free agents. Or players in the final year of their contracts like Mark Stone, Jason Spezza, Martin Havlat, or Matt Duchene being traded away with the Senators getting very little in return.
But when Erik Karlsson, still a year away from free agency, was traded in September of 2018, the Senators made the most of it. And then some.
The Karlsson trade tree is still in full bloom this spring, nurtured by two blockbuster deals: his initial 2018 trade from the Senators to the San Jose Sharks and his subsequent trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023.
But for this exercise, as much as you’d cherish a deep dive into San Jose and Pittsburgh’s organizational depth, we’re focusing on the Senators branches, looking at the deal and what’s become of the players and picks involved.
Here are the guts of the trade, one of the best in Sens history.
To Ottawa: F Josh Norris, F Chris Tierney, D Dylan DeMelo, F Rudolfs Balcers, 2020 first (San Jose), 2019 second (Florida), 2021 second (San Jose)
To San Jose: D Erik Karlsson, F Francis Perron
First to get it out of the way, let’s first mop up the Sharks part of the deal. San Jose signed Karlsson to an eight year extension worth $11.5 million, then after five seasons in teal, they traded him to Pittsburgh in a three way deal that also involved Montreal.
Perron, a scoring star in the Q, played two years in the AHL then five over in Europe. Last year, after winning a French league title with Rouen the season before, he retired from hockey at 29.
The Ottawa side of the tree looks a little fuller than that. Let's take a look at each player or asset and see what remains.
2020 first round pick (San Jose): After finishing the 2017-18 season with 100 points, the Sharks never dreamed that their 2020 first round pick would be as high as third overall. The Senators used it to select centre Tim Stutzle.
Where is Stutzle now? He just completed his sixth season in Ottawa and has already become one of the best players in franchise history.
Josh Norris: Norris played five seasons in Ottawa and in his sophomore year, put up 35 goals in 66 games. But he could never stay healthy, which probably had a hand in why his production slipped, even when healthy.
Where is Norris now? At last year’s trade deadline, Norris was traded to Buffalo, along with Jacob Bernard-Docker for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and Buffalo’s 2026 second round pick.
Cozens has directly replaced Norris as the Senators second-line centre, 75 points in 103 career games. Norris’ injury troubles have chased him to Buffalo, where he’s played just 47 games, scoring 36 points.
2026 second round pick (Buffalo): The Sens traded it to Los Angeles, packaging it up at the deadline for forward Warren Foegele. The deal also involved a swap of third round picks this summer.
Gilbert was used sparingly to end the 2024-25 season and signed with Philadelphia in the offseason. The Flyers dealt him back to Ottawa this season for Sens longtime minor league defenseman Max Guenette.
Dylan DeMelo: DeMelo played almost two seasons in Ottawa but was dealt to Winnipeg for a third-round pick in a move that now seems absurd. DeMelo, a coveted right-shot defenseman, has been a mainstay on the Jets' blueline for the past five years.
But the Sens spun that third rounder into gold, selecting Leevi Merilainen at the 2020 draft. Despite his difficulties this season, after being rushed to the NHL, he remains a top prospect.
2021 second-round pick: It was used to select centre Zack Ostapchuk, who has since been traded back to San Jose, the team that originally owned the pick. He was a medium-sized part of the 2025 deadline day package deal that brought Fabian Zetterlund to Ottawa.
Chris Tierney: Tierney played four seasons in Ottawa, mostly as a third line centre. He then ended up with brief stops in Florida, Montreal, New Jersey, the KHL and last season, in Switzerland.
Rudolfs Balcers: Balcers played parts of two seasons for the Senators who waived him and then he was claimed back by San Jose. Balcers now plays in Switzerland.
2019 second-round pick: It was used in a package to trade up and select goalie prospect Mads Søgaard, who’s an RFA this summer.
Whew. That's quite the haul, one that's still paying dividends eight years later and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Karlsson was, undoubtedly, a great player for the Senators, and some fans still wish he hadn’t been traded away.
But having the likes of Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, Warren Foegele, Fabian Zetterlund, and Leevi Merilainen does help to ease the pain a little.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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