The Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins] announced their annual team awards on Tuesday, including the team MVP. Defenseman Erik Karlsson took home the MVP award on Tuesday and is the first player besides team captain Sidney Crosby to win the award in the last six seasons. It shows how fantastic Karlsson has played this season. Karlsson has compiled 14 goals and 64 points in 73 games this year and was putting the team on his back in March when the Penguins were without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for several games. His 14 goals and 64 points are the most he's had in a season since 2022-23, when he finished with 25 goals and 101 points. This is Karlsson's third season with the Penguins after they acquired him during the 2023 offseason. He's been fantastic in all three zones and in every situation that he's been asked to play in this season. Assuming the Penguins clinch a playoff spot, this will be the first time that Karlsson plays in the playoffs since the 2018-19 season, when he was a member of the San Jose Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks]. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
