The San Jose Sharks have re-signed defenseman Erik Karlsson to an 8-year, $88 million contract extension ($11 million AAV).
According to multiple reports, Karlsson is now the highest-paid defenseman in the league. His contract matches Drew Doughty’s 8-year, $11 million deal he got last season. His deal is the largest in Sharks history. Because Karlsson re-signed with the Sharks, the Senators will receive the Sharks 2021 second-round pick.
Further to @TSNBobMcKenzie‘s report on Erik Karlsson, I’m told the deal is indeed done: 8 years max deal, north of $11 million per season… the Sharks with a huge move in keeping the superstar D from hitting the market.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 17, 2019
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“It’s extremely rare that players of this caliber become available,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. “The word ‘elite’ is often thrown around casually but Erik’s skill set and abilities fit that description like few other players in today’s game. With Erik, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, we feel we have three of the NHL’s top defencemen and stand as a better team today than we were yesterday.”
Karlsson, 29, was the biggest free agent in the market this offseason. The Sharks acquired him from the Ottawa Senators in September 2018. Injuries limited him to only 54 games in the regular season. His 45 points ( 3 goals, 42 assists) was the lowest of his career.
The six-time All-Star and two-time Norris Trophy winner was selected 15th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2008 NHL Entry Draft. His most accomplished year was in 2017. He won the Norris Trophy and led the Senators to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing in overtime in Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sharks Busy Offseason
This is a good time to mention that based on our calculations, the San Jose #Sharks will have a Bonus Overage of $660,750 applied to their salary cap for the 2019-20 season.https://t.co/k3NfSyfH6M pic.twitter.com/EhqNnDB2im
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 17, 2019
The Sharks will have a busy offseason. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist will become Unrestricted Free Agents on July 1. Also, forwards Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc, both restricted free agents will most likely ask for a bigger contract.
Featured Image Credit: NBC Sports
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