The Pittsburgh Penguins haven't been displeased with what they've gotten from Erik Karlsson this season.
PITTSBURGH - Fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t been overly impressed by Erik Karlsson in his first few months with the team.
Karlsson’s offensive production is about half of what it was last year, and the Penguins power play has been a massive let down with him at quarterback.
What people don’t see, however, is just how much production Karlsson is bringing outside of goals and assists.
According to JFresh on Twitter, the Penguins dominate when Karlsson is on the ice.
At 5-on-5, the Penguins hold a 57% expected goal share and 62% actual goal score when Karlsson is skating and brings a 99% in offensive WAR.
Even Karlsson’s defensive metrics are better than expected with 41% defensive WAR which outpacing Kris Letang who is being lauded for his defensive play this year.
According to the same model from JFresh, Letang is only posting a 4% defensive WAR.
Letang is having an outstanding year by the eye test and might even look like a better player than Karlsson, but that doesn’t mean Karlsson wasn’t worth the trade.
Karlsson might not be on pace to score 101 points, and it’s likely he never hits that kind of pace again, but that’s not why the Penguins acquired him.
The Penguins nabbed Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks so he could bolster the Penguins offense from the blue line and provide a boost to the power play.
The power play bit is still being worked on, but overall, Karlsson hasn’t been the failure many people are saying.
In 37 games, he is tied with Letang for most points by a Penguins’ defenseman with 26.
There is certainly room to grow on the scoresheet, but the Penguins haven't been letdown by what they've seen from Karlsson.
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