Sportsnet: Erik Karlsson opens up about leaving Ottawa (Video)

[JD1]

That’s not true, the reaction was quite opposite when Alfredsson left; everybody loved him.

Yashin, Heatley, and Spezza were all washed up selfish players anyway.

it was quite different when Chara and Hossa left too

 

[Goodbahd]

I'll grant you Karlsson doesn't have Lidstrom's accomplishments (not yet), but Bourque never won anything until he was basically gifted his lifetime achievement Stanley Cup at the end of his career.

Are you embarrassingly trying to equate Karlsson to Bourque?

 

[JD1]

That has more to do with everyone and their mom knowing that Karlsson would be traded for the last 12 months, whereas Smith was a surprise.

Last December when the rumors started, Stone, Duchene, etc all talked about how Karlsson is the face of the franchise, has done tons for the community/team, hoped to play with him for a long time, etc. Were they lying then?

I wouldn't say they were lying, I'd say they were feeding the media a steady diet of cliches. you see it in sports all the time.

Hey Mark, tells what it's like playing with player X and the response is a string of superlatives. that's standard across pro sports. a pretty typical sports interview

I thought there was risk associated with signing Karlsson, perhaps too much risk. I wasn't surprised they moved him nor was I surprised they kind of bungled it. I was surprised though with the various quotes since they moved, I expected more superlative cliches and what we've heard has been quite different

 

[BankStreetParade]

It is not the Senators that are developing Lebreton Flats but a consortium. The arena will be subsidized by the developers who would have been unable to develop the land without the arena and will be getting a premium for their developments due to proximity to the arena. But who knows how much the subsidy will be? Proceeds from the land the CTC sits on will also be used to pay for the new arena.



Actions speak louder than words and Firestone, who sold because he couldn't afford the arena, bought a minor league football team in the same market. Bryden, after his financing went bust and the franchise went into bankruptcy protection, still tried to form a new partnership to maintain control of the franchise. Seems like a couple of guys who don't think this market will pay the going rate for pro sports, doesn't it?

The money to be made from owning an NHL team in Ottawa comes almost entirely from the appreciation in value of the team because the value is not exclusively linked to the market itself.

So yeah, a bunch of rich guys who know that NHL teams almost always increase their value - and that in many cases it happens in multiples of their initial investment - are definitely going to be interested in owning a team pretty much regardless of the year-to-year finances. To be honest, the generous bankruptcy conditions made the team a very attractive asset to purchase.

But the increase in the value of the franchise doesn't really speak very well to the actual viability of the market.

 

[Karl Prime]

Nobody knows how the Sens would be playing if Karlsson was here. Maybe they'd be 6-0, or 0-6, or anything in between. If it was still the same up-tempo aggressive style, I don't know how anyone can think that EK wouldn't have made that system better.

 

[The Grey Wizard]

let us not forget that they shipped out everyone who liked Erik......Turris, Method in a way etc.

 

[BatherSeason]

Yep. Proud. Rumors...nope. I hear alot more than most hear and that seems to sour their milk.

Remember, his wife knows a wife of a cousin whose friend knows someone's husband who is friends with a players wife AND he drives a Ferrari. He knows things.

 

[pzeeman]

Is it possible to hate the trade, wish the talent were still here, but seriously wonder if the team is actually better off now? Wonder if the team effort we’ve seen to start the season would have been possible with 65 taking all the oxygen? Is it possible to wonder this and still hate the clown of an owner?

 

[Karl Prime]

I'll say this again, and it's getting tiresome. All these rumours don't add up with what we heard in 16-17 from Anderson, Boucher, and Methot, who said EK was a great leader and teammate. Boucher, one of the most detail-oriented coaches around, praised his work ethic and professionalism. Last year was tough on everybody, especially for Erik with all the off-ice stuff. Only two players had good seasons and nobody was good defensively (not even Stone). But if Erik truly was an egomaniac who was selfish and didn't care about his teammates, it would have come out before this past summer. Nobody seemed to have anything bad to say during his three best seasons where he twice led the team to the playoffs and prevented them from getting a top 5 pick in 2016.

I don't doubt that the team is happier than they were last season - there's a lot of youth in the room, not many veterans, the style is a lot more fun, and there aren't any expectations (last season the team looked weighed down by them after the first big losing streak).

Dorion didn't trade Karlsson for any other reason than they couldn't afford him and he'd bring back the most assets. If he was bad in the room and needed to be removed for years, then surely Dorion would have traded him at the draft in '16 or after his second Norris in '15, when his value was highest? But Dorion said not 18 months ago that only one guy wasn't ever going to be traded and he wasn't talking about Mark Stone. So either PD had no clue about the secret monster hiding within his captain, or all of this is overblown and the locker room issues that were there had more going on than just Karlsson's presence on the team.

 

[SoupNazi]

FLAMING AND TROLLING EACH OTHER NEEDS TO STOP.

Stop. NOW!

 

[swiftwin]

let us not forget that they shipped out everyone who liked Erik......Turris, Method in a way etc.

Hoffman?

 

[armani]

Kudos to Boucher and his players for an exciting start, which is unsustainable albeit entertaining.

One doesn't relate to the other - lets not make baseless conjectures wrt EK or any other player (+/- 40% turnover of on ice personnel from last October) - based on garbage rumours made up on a message board or anywhere else.

I know about off-ice douchebaggery concerning a certain CW, but don't feel like doing the same where they snowball into baseless "locker room rumours". Not hockey related.

 

[coladin]

Kudos to Boucher and his players for an exciting start, which is unsustainable albeit entertaining.

One doesn't relate to the other - lets not make baseless conjectures wrt EK or any other player (+/- 40% turnover of on ice personnel from last October) - based on garbage rumours made up on a message board or anywhere else.

I know about off-ice *****ebaggery concerning a certain CW, but don't feel like doing the same where they snowball into baseless "locker room rumours". Not hockey related.

I'm sure many thought the start from Colorado was unsustaianable as well, who knows where this team goes

 

[Xspyrit]

I didn't really read the thread but from some quotes it seems like there's been a bit of development here. I don't know, it sounds like a Subban situation where his ego was too big for the room and wasn't well liked by everyone. But to what the point is the question? It's impossible to make the unanimity.

At least Sens didn't trade EK for an older oft injured declining player

EK was emotional and sometimes overreacted and even cursed after his teammates




But from that video, it seems that he was still in good terms with Brassard after it happened. Erik is a cool guy and seems to get along with people. Of course he is cocky and has a big ego, he's a star. But I still think he is capable of getting along with others.



I don't know, very hard to say about all this, we have so little info and we don't know what goes on behind the walls.

Note : Damn the youtube comments, makes HF look like a geniuses congress

 

[armani]

I'm sure many thought the start from Colorado was unsustaianable as well, who knows where this team goes

Besides advanced analytics, years of experience as an amateur and viewer tell me this is not a sustainable start.

Do I want it to continue? Hell yeah! That's the fanatic in me.

I am a realist, so I will just enjoy the wins as they come, with 0 expectation.

 

[Xspyrit]

Besides advanced analytics, years of experience as an amateur and viewer tell me this is not a sustainable start.

Do I want it to continue? Hell yeah! That's the fanatic in me.

I am a realist, so I will just enjoy the wins as they come, with 0 expectation.

Well, if there wasn't such a major injury bug, I'd think it'd continue and even improve.

 

[The Grey Wizard]

Hoffman?

correct me if I'm wrong but in the 2017 playoff they seem to, at least, get along. They made sure that the team who was well know to have the best chemistry because of they all stand for together, Anderson's wife and all the trouble around the team, went to s**t.

alternate captain :
Chris Neil
Dion Phaneuf
Kyle Turris

also Alfie gone too
all gone.

 

[swiftwin]

Some of the players are starting to get pretty blunt about it now:

 

[danielpalfredsson]

In a very short span of time we lost MacArthur, Neil, Turris, and Methot in the room.

Three of those four are clearly very close to Karlsson. I'm not sure about Phaneuf, but Karl seemed to be pretty disappointed in interviews when he was moved.

To me, it looks like a lot of the guys who might have been big voices in the room, but also Karl's guys were dealt away. Maybe not with the intention of undercutting Karl, but that seems like it might have been a consequence.

I think that explains what might be a difference in the room from 2017 to 2018.

There's also the factor that all is forgiven when teams are winning. Although, let's not forget that Dorion did claim to have a surprisingly negative exit interview with an unnamed player in 2017. So at least on an individual level, it's possible that despite our great run, at least one key player was unhappy.

This team has also had problems with cliques before 2018. At least, that was a claim Ryan made in 2016 during the 16-17 pre-season.

I don't know who was responsible, or whether Karl is a good or bad guy, but there are clear public indications that there were some sort of issues in the room prior to Hoffgate. I don't know enough about hockey locker rooms at the pro level to really interpret whether those issues are normal and expected.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Some of the players are starting to get pretty blunt about it now:

From anyone else, this might have merit. Considering the source, I'm skeptical.

 

[The Lewler]

Some of the players are starting to get pretty blunt about it now:

Cool. Enjoy sucking by committee. At least you dont have to be reminded you are two tiers below elite every night anymore Wides.

 

[stempniaksen]

In a very short span of time we lost MacArthur, Neil, Turris, and Methot in the room.

Three of those four are clearly very close to Karlsson. I'm not sure about Phaneuf, but Karl seemed to be pretty disappointed in interviews when he was moved.

To me, it looks like a lot of the guys who might have been big voices in the room, but also Karl's guys were dealt away. Maybe not with the intention of undercutting Karl, but that seems like it might have been a consequence.

I think that explains what might be a difference in the room from 2017 to 2018.

There's also the factor that all is forgiven when teams are winning. Although, let's not forget that Dorion did claim to have a surprisingly negative exit interview with an unnamed player in 2017. So at least on an individual level, it's possible that despite our great run, at least one key player was unhappy.

This team has also had problems with cliques before 2018. At least, that was a claim Ryan made in 2016 during the 16-17 pre-season.

I don't know who was responsible, or whether Karl is a good or bad guy, but there are clear public indications that there were some sort of issues in the room prior to Hoffgate. I don't know enough about hockey locker rooms at the pro level to really interpret whether those issues are normal and expected.

Great post, just adding on to it, but Phaneuf became one of EK's closest friends on the team in a very short span. They vacationed together (with MacArthur) during the mandated bye week last year or the year before.

Honestly though, it does seem like things got much (MUCH) worse when "EK's guys" were shipped out and he didn't have a core leadership group to lean on anymore. I'm not gonna absolve Karlsson of any fault in this situation, but it does seem short sighted of management to ship out a good chunk of the leadership group and expect everything to remain hunky-dory.

 

[Karl Prime]

If Wideman thinks everyone is equal now on the Sens blueline then he's sorely mistaken. Chabot and Lajoie are easily #1 and #2 and 3 through 6 are interchangeable on any given night.

 

[pzeeman]

I don’t take Wideman’s quote to be “we’re all contributing equally” but “no one is more important than the other”

Through absolutely no insight or (insider) knowledge whatsoever, I’ve come to the conclusion that the 17 playoffs went to Karlsson’s head, and coaching and management were complicit in not nipping it in the bud.

For instance, despite what I assume were attempts at coaching otherwise, Karlsson ran the power play the way he wanted, and because he’s Erik Karlsson, no one would call him out on it. Once Karlsson isn’t an option anymore, or doesn’t insist on everything going through him, the other 4 players on the unit are now free to try other things and listen to the coaches.

This is not an attempt to sabotage Karlsson, his talent, his leadership or his personality. It’s just my trying to line up the early season results and changes we’ve seen despite taking the most talented player we’ve ever seen, and some of the comments (not message board rumours) out of the locker room. If I was told all summer how awesome I am, it would probably affect me as well.

Let me have it.

 

[Karl Prime]

I don’t take Wideman’s quote to be “we’re all contributing equally” but “no one is more important than the other”

That's not true though. Chabot is more important than the other 5. That's just the way it is. Most teams in the league have a #1 D-man that is the most important and gets the most responsibility.