Ottawa Senators face franchise defining decision with Erik Karlsson

No matter what the Ottawa Senators wind up doing with Erik Karlsson, it’s going to define their future.

This season’s storylines have been dominated by free agency talk thanks to New York Islanders captain John Tavares. Whether it’s fair or not, he’s going to be talked about relentlessly until he puts ink on an extension. Next year, it might be even more hectic if Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson doesn’t sign an extension this summer.

He’s scheduled to become a free agent after the 2018-19 season. And if Tavares is the biggest name to hit free agency (assuming he doesn’t sign an extension), would he only hold that title for a year? Especially one in which two recent Norris Trophy winners could be on the open market?

Now, Karlsson has made it clear he won’t accept a hometown discount. Frankly, he’s already done so once. Which is why the Senators must consider a variety of factors before deciding whether or not they’ll re-sign the best defenseman they’ve ever had.

The Case For Trading Karlsson

More from Puck Prose

As great as Karlsson has been, Ottawa hasn’t been able to take advantage. And this is with a contract that is borderline highway robbery. Karlsson signed his deal in July of 2012. Since then, he’s the most productive defenseman by a fairly wide margin. During that same timespan, the Senators rank 17th in points.

This begs an important question. If the Senators can’t be consistent contenders with Karlsson on a bargain deal, what makes you think they’ll be consistent contenders with him on an uber-expensive deal? To be clear, this issue is on Ottawa. When he’s healthy, Karlsson is one of the most dynamic players in the NHL. And arguably the most valuable.

There’s also the salary cap issue. Sure, the cap will be rising. This should help the Senators. But keeping Karlsson might well mean getting rid of one or more of players like Cody Ceci, Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, Derick Brassard, and Mike Hoffman. At some point, extending him would hurt the budget of the Senators more than keeping him would help them.

Finally, the biggest reason Ottawa should field calls on their franchise defenseman? The return. What kind of package could the Senators get for Karlsson? Ironically, guess who inadvertently set the market, assuming this deal gets done this season? The Senators. You can multiply the price Ottawa paid for Duchene by about two for a Karlsson trade.

The Case For Extending Karlsson

The Senators live and die by Karlsson. It’s hard to imagine them continuing to function as a franchise without him. Karlsson’s the face of the franchise, arguably the best player they’ve ever had. Sure, Daniel Alfredsson was terrific. But he never won a major award. Karlsson has already won two and should probably have even more.

Trading him would be disastrous for the fanbase. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk already has a bad reputation for being a cheapskate. Imagine what Ottawa will think of him if Karlsson isn’t in a Senators sweater in 2019.

It would be horrible for their future as well. Ottawa would likely struggle to be in the green each year, which is what owners care about. Guess what this means? Potential relocation. Karlsson would probably get a cap hit featuring eight digits to the left of the decimal point. But for the Senators, he’s worth it because of what he means for the franchise.

Next: 3 Bold Predictions For The Senators

Keeping Karlsson should be a no-brainer for the Ottawa Senators. But it’s a lot more complicated than that. And no matter what happens, the Senators need to make the right decision. Even if it might not even exist.

Home/Ottawa Senators