DOH 411 – Erik Karlsson Sweepstakes
June 5th, 2019, 11:38 am
Recent reports have the Sharks still involved with Erik Karlsson. Will he stay, and will Pavelski be able to stay too?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Tags: sjsharks
Loading ...
Great podcast! Keep ’em coming. Clarification – Nyquist had 60 regular season points, then 11 in the postseason.
Good episode, as always. As someone who thinks the EK65 sweepstakes won’t end until after July 1, I hope you are back sooner than that! I agree with Nazir’s comment last episode that Doughty money just doesn’t seem right for Karlsson. My guess is SJ gave him at least 3 options: $10+ mil but no Nyquist or Pavs; around $10 mil but no Nyquist; $8-9.5 mil + Nyquist. I still think he’ll be in Tamp next year. Great team, his buddy Hedman, and closer to Ottowa than SJ. And I think that’s best for everyone. SJ brings back Pavs, signs Meier, keeps Braun, and can dip into the UFA market to beef up their bottom 6. With the Boughner back and no more EK65 drama, the Sharks are a contender, for sure.
Kurz reporting Doughty money is the offer. How would this look to the other franchise players? Thornton, Couture, Pavs – and for years prior, Marleau – all took team friendly deals. Burns – who is as good as or maybe even a better player than Karlsson, especially from a health perspective – could have made more on the open market. Then Karlsson plays a short season and gets the biggest contract offer in franchise history? I imagine this is what Pavs is pissed about – he’s getting the leftovers after years of Sharks loyalty. I’d be pissed too. Should Karlsson sign, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pavs walks due to a low offer.
Seems like Wilson is desperate to land a big fish. But look who just won the cup. You don’t need an $88 million contract on your books for years. If it’s Ovie, Crosby, or McDavid, ok, I get it. But Karlsson is not in that category. Bad idea and I wonder if it could even impact team chemistry. At the very least, there would be no more precedent for future Sharks to take team friendly deals.
I want Erik the Great back, but for a more reasonable offer in line with what the current Sharks superstars are making.
That deal with the devil is a dangerous thing. Ask any Maple Leafs fan over 65.
Karlsson’s wife wants to move, SJ never found him a good D partner, and he never seemed happy being on a team with the other great offensive D man Burns. I think he leaves and we dodge a bullet by avoiding a long contract. Pavs is more important to sign anyway. The Sharks don’t need more O, they need more D.
Here is my dream season for 2019-20. Karlsson signs in the east with a non-contender like the Habs or Rangers. The Sharks let Nyquist and Haley walk. They sign Pavs, Meier, and Donskoi, + a solid McElhinney, a hard-nosed 4th liner, and a veteran third-pairing defenseman. Joe Thornton joins the team in December. SJ waits until the trade deadling in 2020 and get Marleau from whatever bottom-feeder he signs with this summer. Kane, Burns, Pavs, Meier, and Jones have monster playoff runs. The Sharks win a cup then Thornton and Marleau retire. The End.
Can’t believe I will be the optimist here but I see it as a win-win. If he returns SJ gets a world class player, the kind of guy who can take over games and hoist the cup. If he leaves, we get to keep Pavs for sure plus add depth.
Have to wonder if the leaked rumor that Karlsson’s wife wanted to live closer to Ottawa was a negotiating tactic.
I agree with Mike’s comment that Wilson has done a 180 on his no long-term deals strategy. I never imagined they’d offer Karlsson this much. It’s ridiculous. He was probably the 4th best player on the team this year after Pavs, Burns, and Couture, yet he makes way more than them now.
I assume my all-time fav Shark Pavs is gone. (Is the assumption Pavs walks and Karlsson eventually becomes the captain – maybe after next season?) Watch Pavs sign with the Avs or VGK and eliminate us next year.
But Doug is right – win a cup next year and it’s worth it. Anything else, we’ll look back from the dog days to come 4 years from now and say, oh man, what was DW thinking?
SJ has over $15 mil in cap space. I agree with Doug that – sadly – dealing Braun seems necessary. SJ cap space is currently over $15 mil. Unsigned roster players who are priorities are Pavs, Meier, Labanc, Gambrell, and Heed and/or Ryan.
I agree with Doug that the only real option is to deal Braun. That creates a little over $19 mil total in cap space. Nyquist presumably walks. So does Donskoi, unless he takes a very team friendly offer.
Let’s say Pavs signs for $7 mil. That still leaves $12 for Meier, Labanc, Gambrell, and Heed and/or Ryan. You gain a healthy Karlsson, but lose iron man and underappreciated Braun. Fortunately, Simek is signed through next year for only $675k. Possible pairings:
Burns-Simek
Vlasic-Karlsson
Dillon-Heed (?)
And then you have Ryan if you want to pay him as 7th, or Middleton who is signed.
In case anyone is wondering, McElhinney made less than $1 mill in recent years, so he’s very possible. The big question is probably how much term does Pavs want? Hard to imagine DW doing more than 3 years. After a 44 goal season, Pavs may get a longer offer. Just imagine what the Wild, VGK, or Avs would pay him.
Correction: Pavs had 42 goals not 44, including playoffs. And oh yeah, I haven’t mentioned JUmbo yet. Does he pay for, like, $1 mil? I mean, that might have to be the case.
Did anyone on Wilson’t staff even watch the Blues series? Karlsson got beaten down. He’s too small. This is a terrible signing. Calm down about 8. He’ll be back for sure. Melker + Braun + Dell are all fat that can be cut and probably Donskoi too. But this team ain’t winning any cup. They need grit and sandpaper not the skilled but soft Europeans Wilson has been signing for years who can’t get it down in the playoffs.
The Sharks are so stupid. These huge contracts never work out in hockey. Remember all the hoopla around Tavares last year? Lotta good that did the Leafs when they exited in round 1 again. O’Reilly was a total afterthought in the same UFA pool and then he goes and wins the Conn Smythe.
I can’t refute any of the points made here. But I will say, Wilson’s work is far from over so give him a little time before you pass judgement. Apparently Jumbo’s coming back now. If Wilson somehow gets Karlsson, Jumbo, Pavs, and Meier to all return, that would be incredible. The big question for me is can the Sharks repair their relationship with Pavs vs the allure of him going to say, his home state of Minnesota for big $.
I can’t wait for EK65 t return to full health and tear up the opposition again and watch all the naysayers eat crow.
Love this signing.
One of the more interesting questions remaining is, will the Sharks let their top two RW go. Hard to imagine they can let both Pavelski and Nyquist walk. Back at the deadline, was Wilson bringing in Nyquist to audition a plan B top line RW in case Pavelski walks?
Deal Dell to free up almost $2 mil. That makes $18.25 mil. $7 mil Pavs, $5.5 mil – Meier, $3 mil – Labanc, $1 mil – Jumbo, $1 mil – Heed, $0.75 mil – Gambrell. Walk: Nyquist, Donskoi, Suomela, Haley. If the choice is Nyquist + Donskoi or Pavelski, I choose Pavelski.
Karlsson is a world class player. My early pick to win the Norris next year. But the price was too high – next year’s team will be weaker than this year’s, which couldn’t win a cup. Blues just did. Max contract is $7.5 mil and only 2 guys have that much. Telling.