Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson may be on the move to the Western Conference.
SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that talks to trade the All-Star defenseman have picked back up the last few days.
There is a sense today that Erik Karlsson trade talks have picked up in the last few days. Most likely destinations appear to be Western Conference. There is also a belief VAN has stepped in to see if it is a match.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 22, 2018
Karlsson’s name has been bandied about in trade talks since the trade deadline, where the Washington Capitals were rumored to be one of the teams in on the Swedish defenseman. The Vegas Golden Knights were also a contender in the Karlsson sweepstakes. After the NHL Draft, another good artificial deadline to make a deal, came and went without a trade, many analysts were unsure if Karlsson would start the 2018-19 season in Ottawa or not.
Meanwhile, the Senators are still using the team’s captain in marketing materials for next season.
Look who is still being used to sell tickets 🤔 pic.twitter.com/58LOOrPWcz
— Ian McLaren (@iancmclaren) August 16, 2018
Karlsson’s 2017-18 campaign was an individual success, as he notched nine goals and 53 assists, good for 62 points. As a team, Ottawa floundered, finishing second last in the league and most recently came under fire when assistant general manager Randy Lee resigned amidst harassment charges.
Karlsson’s family has also been the subject of intense scrutiny. Karlsson’s wife Melinda sought a restraining order against former team mate Mike Hoffman’s fiancee Monika Caryk after allegations of harassment over social media due to the loss of their son in a miscarriage.
