Karlsson Has No Intention of Requesting Trade from Sharks

With the San Jose Sharks in the midst of what could be a lengthy rebuild, trade rumors have been circulating regarding defenseman Erik Karlsson.

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The 32-year-old Karlsson had a nice bounce back season in 2021-22, recording 10 goals and 35 points in 50 games. One would imagine that those totals would be significantly better on a team with more offensive weapons. That line of thinking is why many have believed he may soon request a trade, something he denied when speaking with media on Thursday morning.

“No, I committed here a long time ago,” Karlsson said when asked about a potential trade request. “It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to early on. There’s a lot of things that probably played into that. I’m not going to get into details about that. But I am excited for the future here now. I hope we can move in the direction to be successful again. Is that going to be this year? I mean, who knows? But I do think something good can come out of here.”

While it is honorable on Karlsson’s behalf that he is willing to see things through, a trade may not have been able to come to fruition even if he did in fact want out. His contract, which has five more seasons remaining with a cap hit of $11.5 million, makes him the leagues highest paid defenseman and fourth highest paid player of any position. Though still a useful player, he has not lived up to that contract, and would be impossible to move unless the Sharks were to retain a good chunk of his salary.

As for whether or not Karlsson can get back to his former Norris Trophy level self, that remains to be seen. Health has been a major issue for the Swedish blue liner, as he has not played in 70 or more games since the 2017-18 season. That said, if healthy, he may be able to see somewhat of a resurgence under new bench boss David Quinn.

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