The Senators Have More Than Enough Non-Physical, Puck Moving Defencemen Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman is one of the NHL's best insiders, often the first to report on the game's biggest breaking stories. So when this guy simply wonders about things, it gets people talking, particularly when it's a notion – and that's all it is – that's as big as Erik Karlsson returning to Ottawa. Friedman had this to say yesterday in his 32 Thoughts column. [https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/32-thoughts-will-kyle-dubas-shake-up-the-pittsburgh-penguins/] > Please recognize that this is manifesting purely in my head. But, as I watch > Daniel Alfredsson on the bench in Ottawa, I can’t help but wonder if the > Senators consider a Karlsson reunion. At least, brainstorm it. Yes, it’s > complicated and yes, everyone would have to be on board. But no one mind-melds > with Karlsson like Alfredsson, and, since it got into my head, I can’t stop > thinking about the possibility of it. > > – Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman - With the aging Penguins eight points and four teams out of the playoffs, it's certainly possible GM Kyle Dubas might shift to seller mode if they don't heat up over the next two weeks. Karlsson turns 34 this May and remains one of the most dynamic, skilled defencemen in the game. In fact, last season he won the Norris Trophy and became the first NHL defenseman to reach 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. He's well off that pace in Pittsburgh this season, scoring 39 points in 53 games. Interestingly, he's getting more power play time in Pittsburgh than he got in San Jose for his career season last year. That may speak to just how much the Penguins are slowing down. The average age of their top seven scorers is 33. Jake Guentzel is the kid at 29. Karlsson said last year he'd be willing to play again in Ottawa, and if the Senators and Penguins really wanted to do something, they probably could. Pittsburgh would probably be looking to get younger. And Ottawa would need to unload some salary in the deal to make it work. Karlsson still has three more full years left on his deal with a cap hit of $11.5 million. So the natural thought would be to involve either Thomas Chabot or Josh Norris, two much younger players who both carry roughly an $8 million salary. Neither is having their best season, but as Toronto's former GM, Dubas has seen first hand what both players are capable of when they're on their game. If the Sens, for example, dealt Chabot for Karlsson, and unloaded Dominik Kubalik's contract, they'd be in the ballpark of having enough cap space. The Penguins might need more than that, but they would have a younger, albeit lesser version of Karlsson, and save $3.5 million a year in the process. The Sens would get the reigning Norris Trophy winner, more offence on the back end, and a much needed right shot. So that's how it perhaps could be done. But should it be done? From Ottawa's perspective, absolutely not. A deal like that would improve the Senators, but it's not remotely addressing their deep need for better defensive play and more physical edge. No one in Ottawa has been asking for a roving, non-physical, offensive defenceman, even if it's one of the best ones. The Sens are more than set in that area. As much as we love nostalgia and banter, this is a trade notion that should stay locked up in Elliotte Friedman's head and never see the light of day. For the record, I've already stopped thinking about it.
