I was never part of the bandwagon that says sign EK65 for top dollar and max term. I thought DW got a good deal in the trade, but that was when EK65 did not miss this many games due to injuries.
Keep in mind that with this "highly prized" defense by many here, the Sharks GA/G for the season is below the 50 percentile. Additionally, the Sharks have the worse GA/G among the teams left standing in the playoffs. They also have the worst total GAs of any team in the playoffs.
This will have to change if they meet Boston in the SCF who is the most stingiest GA/G in the playoffs. I would prefer a match up with the jerks.
But that aside, signing EK65 to the numbers being floated around this board will put the Sharks over the $41m/yr for defense. That's too much for a defense that gets scored upon.
The game isn't about goals allowed. It's about goal differential. It's about winning and they're here because they're good enough defensively and have enough offensive talent to outproduce what they give up and Karlsson is a big reason for that.