A contract on the table for Karlsson!

Will the defenseman ditch his plans to test the free agency?!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
A contract on the table for Karlsson!
Zuma Press

Erik Karlsson might be focused on making his wife Melinda happy by moving closer to a market near Ottawa, the San Jose Sharks aren’t giving up. 

The team might actually have put together an offer the star blue liner simply cannot refuse. 

According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the Sharks and Karlsson continue to work on a potential contract extension "somewhere in the vicinity" of Drew Doughty's contract with the Los Angeles Kings.

It is believed that the Sharks are offering Karlsson a deal comparable to the eight-year, $88-million deal Doughty received last summer from the Kings.  The two players had discussed together the importance of getting top money, and the Sharks might hit right in the middle. 

Karlsson has until 11:59 pm ET on June 30 to sign an eight-year deal with the Sharks. After that, he would be limited to a seven-year contract.

It was a tough first season with the Sharks for Karlsson after he landed there in September following a massive trade from the Senators. He was limited to just 53 games this season due to a groin injury, which he underwent surgery on last month. He scored three goals and posted 45 points while averaging 24:29 of ice time per game, his lowest mark since 2010-11. In the postseason, he scored two goals and posted 16 points in 19 games.

The Sharks have a lot of their plates when it comes with dealing with pending free agents this summer, but they appear to have made Karlsson a top priority. The Sharks are projected to have $24 million in cap space this summer and Kurz notes that Karlsson's decision could alter the team's plans for captain Joe Pavelski, one of the many free agents on the team. There is also beloved veteran Joe Thorthon, who many believe will return for one more year in San Jose. 

If the Sharks decided and succeed to sign Karlsson, they would have to give up their 2021 second-round pick to the Senators as a result of last fall's trade.

Quite an expensive add-on to consider.