The San Jose Sharks re-sign defenseman Erik Karlsson to an eight-year deal, according to multiple reports Monday morning.
Erik Karlsson is staying in the Bay. The San Jose Sharks inked the all world Swedish blueliner to an 8 year 11.5 million dollar contract.
The new deal will make EK65 the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL, ahead of Drew Doughty’s $11 million contract according to CapFriendly.
That means the best free-agent defenseman is off the 2019 UFA board. The 29-year-old elite puck-moving defender will remain in teal for the next eight seasons alongside Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, reforming the three-headed monster on the stacked Sharks blueline.
A message from @ErikKarlsson65 to #SharksTerritory! pic.twitter.com/JPjjefKD9S
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 17, 2019
As a result of Karlsson re-signing with San Jose, the Ottawa Senators will receive a second-round pick instead of a first-round pick in 2021 since the Sharks did not advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the first year with San Jose after the 2018 summer blockbluster trade with Ottawa, Karlsson’s numbers were not as impressive as his career averages, but his shaky health limited him to play at his fullest abilities.
During his tenth season in the NHL, the swift Swedish defenseman finished with three goals and 45 points in 53 regular season contests. Karlsson missed a large portion of time due to an aggravated groin injury that lingered over into the postseason as well.
However, Karlsson produced efficiently during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including a pair of pivotal goals against the St. Louis Blues in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and a team-high 14 assists, which finished third among all defensemen in the postseason.
This marks the first big move of many for general manager Doug Wilson and the Sharks front office, who have roughly $13 million left in projected cap space to sign notable impending free agents Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc.