Erik Karlsson Failing Penguins in One Key Area
The Pittsburgh Penguins are seeing one of the worst seasons from their superstar defenseman's career.
PITTSBURGH – The final stretch of the 2023-24 season is here for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and at this point of the season, it may be too little too late for struggling players to find a rhythm. The Penguins have seen a good handful of players struggle all season long, but none more high-profile than Erik Karlsson.
Coming off his third Norris Trophy season, Karlsson joined the Penguins and was expected to bring boatloads of offensive firepower to the blue line. However, with nine games remaining in the season, Karlsson has only 46 points on the year.
It was obvious another 100-point season was unlikely from Karlsson, but his numbers aren’t anywhere near what he’s capable of. He’s gone without a point in six straight games and has only two goals in his last 53 outings. That’s the real disturbing number, two goals since Thanksgiving Weekend.
In total, Karlsson has eight goals on the season. The only time he has finished a season with eight or fewer goals was when he played in at least 20 fewer games. Even more shocking is that Karlsson leads the Penguins in shot attempts with 482.
The debate surrounding Karlsson in the Penguins fanbase has raged all season. At $10 million against the cap, he's the team's highest-paid player, so it makes sense that everyone expects more from him.
Karlsson has shown flashes of what makes him a future Hall of Famer, but nothing has been consistent during his first year in Pittsburgh. He leads defenders in scoring, but just barely, as Kris Letang sits just two points behind him. Perhaps the fact that everyone on the team has struggled has contributed to Karlsson's brutal season, but he'll need to be the reason things pick up next time around.
Debate will rage all offseason about whether Karlsson should be traded away already, but it doesn't appear anyone is ready for that to happen. Karlsson himself shot down those rumors, and the team seems to love having him in the room.
Karlsson has the skill to score at a far more regular pace. Finding that touch at this point of the season won’t mean much, but it’ll be a necessity next season.
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