Erik Karlsson’s arrival in Pittsburgh came on Wednesday and it’s still a bit surreal to see him as a member of the Penguins, both for him and for the fans.
The move that prompted him to leave the San Jose Sharks rocked the hockey world. After all, it’s the first time since 1961 that a Norris Trophy winner has changed teams in the same summer that he received the honor.
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“I’ve played against the Penguins for a long time and I was on the wrong side,” admitted the Swede while touring the facilities at his new club. It’s nice to take a look behind the scenes.
“Every time we played you, we didn’t want to come back,” he joked, cursing.
Karlsson was also greeted by a familiar face, that of Jason Spezza. Both men were Ottawa Senators teammates, but the forward is now an assistant to general manager Kyle Dubas.
difficult negotiations
At his first meeting in the office of the GM and President of Ice Hockey Operations, the defense attorney thanked Dubas for managing to settle the matter. Karlsson’s departure had been the subject of rumors for several weeks and the transaction was finally closed thanks to the intervention of a third party: the Montreal Canadiens.
“It was difficult to understand where we are in the negotiations,” he admitted at a news conference, adding that discussions had been punctuated by ups and downs. I know Pittsburgh quite well thanks to my time in Ottawa. So it was exciting to know that they were interested. I’m glad it worked.
“They have a lot of good players who have been around for a long time and have had tremendous success. I look forward to working with and learning from players like you. We’re all trying to achieve the same goal: to win games and win the cup.”
Who will be his partner?
The 33-year veteran recalled finding the joy of playing again this year after several miserable seasons at San Jose. A reporter mentioned his relationship with Brent Burns, another attacking full-back with whom Karlsson had to share duties.
“I don’t think we had a weird relationship. we are close friends When a team isn’t playing well, tension can rise,” said the one who said he was looking forward to speaking with Kristopher Letang.
“I like playing with guys who want to reach their full potential, someone who wants to improve all aspects of their game,” said Karlsson, a three-time James Norris Trophy winner.
Last year he became the first defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1992 to reach 100 points in a season.