It's fair to set the bar high for Erik Karlsson as he prepares to begin his tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As the dust finally settles on the Pittsburgh Penguins acquiring Erik Karlsson in a massive three-team deal, it’s time to take a look at what can be expected from the three-time Norris Trophy winner.

Karlsson brings offense in bunches and is still a superstar name in the NHL, and the Penguins have high hopes for the newest member of their team.

What kind of year will Karlsson have in 2023-24? It would be unfair to say Karlsson should score at a 100-point pace again.

A defenseman putting up 100 points is extremely rare and Karlsson hitting that mark put him in elite company and in a club that hasn’t added a member since the 1991-92.

Only five defensemen on 14 occasions have ever posted 100-point seasons from the blue line before Karlsson’s 2022-23 season.

Prior to his 101-point campaign, Karlsson’s career-high in points was 82 (16G-66A) in 2015-16; even that may be too high of a number to project right away.

If Karlsson can bring in 65-75 points for the Penguins’ back end, that will be a huge jump to the overall status of the team.

Loading up on special teams with Karlsson as power play quarterback should also bring a vastly improved power play.

The Penguins struggled for large portions of the season with the man advantage, and Karlsson should bring with him at least a handful of goals while pushing upwards of 20+ assists.

Karlsson did most of his work at 5-on-5 last season, but should get new opportunities in Pittsburgh.

Defensively, Karlsson doesn’t have much to offer, but it will put a new spotlight on his likely first Penguins linemate, Marcus Pettersson.

The two Swedes should feed well off of each other as Karlsson’s heavy offense will force Pettersson to play with more responsibility.

Pettersson said during the season that playing with a guy like Kris Letang makes him a smarter defender; he’ll have to bring that same mindset, and them some, with Karlsson.

It’s safe to assume Karlsson won’t reach that 100-point plateau again, but there will be some high expectations for the future Hall of Famer.

The Penguins jumped through a ton of hoops to get him and will be paying him handsomely for the next four seasons.

The main goal for the team is to win the Stanley Cup, and the Penguins believe Karlsson gives them a great chance to do just that.

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