Erik Karlsson, number 65 for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is an elite defenseman in the NHL. He was born on May 31, 1990, in Landsbro, Sweden, and has proven his elite status his entire career.
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Karlsson began his amateur career in Sweden, playing in the junior leagues before finding a home with the Frölunda HC. Karlsson first took the ice in the Elitserien, the Swedish Hockey League today, with Frölunda on March 1, 2008, where he scored the game-winning goal, clinching a playoff berth for the club. He then finished the season with Frölunda’s J20 team, winning the Anton Cup.
He entered the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, hosted by the Ottawa Senators, as one of the highest-rated European prospects. He was selected 15th overall in the first round by the Senators. Karlsson remained with Frölunda for the 2008-09 season and played 45 regular season and 11 playoff games with the Elitserien squad. He then signed his Entry Level Contract with the Sens entering the 2009-10 season.
Karlsson made his NHL debut on October 3, 2009, against the New York Rangers, where he recorded his first career assist. He struggled to find his footing and was sent to the AHL to play with the Binghamton Senators. He played 12 games with Binghampton, recording 11 assists, and was called back to Ottawa where he finished the season. He recorded five goals and 21 assists through 60 games as well as six playoff games where he scored one goal and five assists.
During the next two seasons, Karlsson progressed significantly as an offensive defenseman. Through those 156 games, Karlsson scored 32 goals and 91 assists for 123 points. He played in his first and second NHL All-Star Competitions, broke the Senators’ record for most points in a year as a defenseman, and ended up winning his first James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s best defenseman, the second Swede to win the award. He then signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract that would run until the end of the 2019 season.
Despite a lockout and a lacerated Achilles tendon, Karlsson’s number remained consistent throughout his remaining seasons with the Senators. He also assumed Captainacy of the club during the 2014-15 season and achieved his first point-per-game season during the 2015-16 season, where he scored 16 goals and 66 assists for 82 points in 82 games. Karlsson continued to break records for Ottawa and leaguewide as a Swedish player and would end up winning his second Norris trophy after the 2014-15 season as well as finishing close in the votes for two other seasons. He also helped carry the Senators to game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017, where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Pittsburgh Penguins. His career in Ottawa lasted 627 games, where he tallied 126 goals and 392 assists for 518 points.
Due to injuries and uncertainty from the head office on whether Karlsson would re-sign once his contract was up, Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks on September 13, 2018. Despite lower numbers and more injuries, Karlsson continued his trend of breaking franchise records, as well as league records, throughout his first year in San Jose. At the end of his first season in San Jose, Karlsson signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid defenseman in league history and the third highest-paid player at the time. He also assumed the Alternate Captaincy during the 2019-20 season.
Injuries, COVID, and playing alongside Brent Burns affected his ice time resulting in his numbers taking a major hit, setting a record-low 22 points during the 2020-21 season. After another rough season in San Jose, the Sharks traded Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes in June 2022, giving the driver’s seat back to Karlsson in the 2022-23 season. At the start of a rebuilding Sharks team, Karlsson stood above the water, reaching a 101-point season for the first time in his career. In his fourth full 82-game season, he notched 25 goals and 76 assists and earned his third career Norris Trophy over a decade after his first.
In the summer before the 2023-24 season, Karlsson was traded in a blockbuster deal that sent him to an old rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins. During his first season with the Penguins, his numbers lowered once again as he shared his ice time with Kris Letang, notching a respectable 11 goals and 45 assists for 56 points and a +4 rating over 82 games. His contract will take him to the end of the 2026-27 season.
Internationally, Karlsson has competed for Sweden numerous times. He won Gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2007, Silver at the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2008 and the 2014 Winter Olympics, and Brozne at two IIHF World Championships in 2010 and 2024, where he captained the 2024 team.
Erik Karlsson has had an incredible career and continues to prove himself as an elite defenseman in the league. Catch Karlsson in his 16th season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
