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

[Emerica]

EK has been my favourite player since Alfie left. He reached heights that no other player for us has ever done. I will always have great memories of his time here.

But I will admit that its not a stretch at all to point out that some guys are noticeably happy about the new direction the team chose to go in (trading him), while still being as diplomatic as possible.

I dont believe that EK was the only problem in the room, but its pretty obvious that he was at very least a part of it. With the loss of his child and the trade rumors swirling, its easy to believe that he might have become withdrawn from the room (or had an inner circle) which allowed all sorts of cliques to form. Which wont work from your captain.

I do believe that it was best for him and the team to part ways. I think that Erik might even need it to grow as person, and will be a better guy because of it.

And since the trade has started looking much better than the horrendous disaster that it first looked like, and we've seen kids thrive in their new roles, Ive lost all anger at this point, personally.

Weren’t you the one who made a thread on the Leafs board? Only took you 3 games to do a full 180.

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

Looking back now when Brass jumped on Erik after that goal during the ‘16 run...

Intent to injure?

 

[Samsquanch]

Weren’t you the one who made a thread on the Leafs board? Only took you 3 games to do a full 180.

Yeah that was me. And Im watching the leafs this year as well as my second team, and could generally care less what the internet thinks about it.

And fwiw, I guess you also skimmed over the part where I mentioned that Ive got some pretty serious real life shit on my mind these last couple months, so emotions are running wild unfortunately.

Hockey is a much needed escape for me right now, and so long as the Sens aren't embarrassing me every odd day and adding more misery into my fully saturated life, then I can be the same rabid fan that Ive been for 20 years.

 

[coladin]

Just "interview" would probably suffice.

Ok. What was the tone of the interview

 

[coladin]

If Eugene wants my love back all it would take would be signing these 3 UFA's.

Karlsson, Methot, Spezza

Let's get Hossa out of retirement and see if Alfredsoon is good to go to as well. Goodness gracious

 

[coladin]

What is so "woe is me about it"?

Did you watch it?

 

[Goodbahd]

lol, this is hilarious. Going to be funny to see the 180 with some folks in a few months when Stone and/or Duchene are gone.

Nobody is defending Melnyk, we know he’s horrible, but it doesn’t absolve players from everything either, everyone is still accountable.

Stone will probably pull a Tavares, I’m sure he wants to play in his hometown of Winnipeg, plus they’re close to contending. I don’t think Duchene ever intended on staying here.

 

[Goodbahd]

Methot would be 34 years old, before next season, and hobbled by injuries.

Karlsson walked away from a reportedly 88 million dollar offer from Ottawa, and that offer, that he left on the table, is going to look pretty good compared to the offers he'll be seeing in July, if he becomes an UFA.

Spezza is pretty much done, he turns 36 next summer.

Exactly, 88M is a damn nice contract. Apparently it wasn’t enough. He was never going to sign here, instead of admitting to it, he played the victim rather than owning up to not wanting to sign in Ottawa.

 

[foggyvisor]

Exactly, 88M is a damn nice contract. Apparently it wasn’t enough. He was never going to sign here, instead of admitting to it, he played the victim rather than owning up to not wanting to sign in Ottawa.

Why are you purposely ignoring that there is more to a contract than the total dollar amount?

Why are you purposely ignoring that the offer was not market value and that EK was being asked to take LESS than market value to play on a team that will not spend money to be competitive?

I mean, I think we all know why a small group of you is purposely ignoring this, don't we.... (I know)

 

[foggyvisor]

Yeah that was me. And Im watching the leafs this year as well as my second team, and could generally care less what the internet thinks about it.

Sorry, but cheering for the Leafs as your second team is simply not a thing. It's not. You can "care less" about what we think of you, but you need to accept that no one will value any of your opinions and will likely just skip all your posts.

It's not thing. You can't cheer for the Leafs and Sens. You can't be hot AND cold. You can't be hungry and full.

Byeee

 

[foggyvisor]

The good news is that we have a team that plays for each other now, and is working hard for each other. It’s good news going forward. This seems to be what a team starts to look like when you put a premium on character along with talent.

Yes, because teams you perceive to "play for each other" is the most important factor in winning a Stanley Cup.

It's hilarious. "We fixed the room" has been used by management multiple times in the last 15 years and you are just swallowing it. Guess what, elite players have elite egos. Not everyone likes them, but they win.

You think all of Mark Messier's teammates loved him?

You think Mike Keenan's Rangers all loved him?

You think everyone at Apple loved Steve Jobs?

The fact that you are willing to so happily move on from one of the best defenceman to ever play hockey (FACT) because of something "Chris Wideman" may have implied is incredulous.

 

[Goodbahd]

Why are you purposely ignoring that there is more to a contract than the total dollar amount?

Why are you purposely ignoring that the offer was not market value and that EK was being asked to take LESS than market value to play on a team that will not spend money to be competitive?

I mean, I think we all know why a small group of you is purposely ignoring this, don't we.... (I know)

What was his market value? 11M/year was not enough? It’s the most he’d get even on the open market. No fool would pay more than that. Heck, I don’t even think there’s a defenseman in my opinion whose worth more than 10M. I’d only pay a generational forward north of 10M. Offensive defenseman are overrated IMO. The last defenseman who’d be worth north of 10M today, would be Lidstrom and Bourque. Karlsson is notch below those guys. They were exceptionally offensively and defensively. In the grand scheme of things Karlsson is more of a Phil Housely. A great offensive defenseman, certainly Hall of Fame calibre, but not generational. Last generational talent was Lidstrom, nobody today is generational.

No way he’s worth north of that. He’s not worth McDavid’s money. If he thought he was worth more than 11M/year and 88M was not good enough, then trading him was the right decision. That’s some serious ego, 11M IS market value. In 5 years he’ll already be 32...

 

[JD1]

No kidding.

I can't believe we're still seeing that bs contract offer as "proof" the team tried to keep him.

well you have to put the BS in context. Allegedly they did offer him 8/88 or very close to it.

I understand how contract structure impacts the player but the team would have had to pay 88 million had he signed it.

I am curious why the EK side never negotiated off the initial offer

 

[JD1]

EK has been my favourite player since Alfie left. He reached heights that no other player for us has ever done. I will always have great memories of his time here.

But I will admit that its not a stretch at all to point out that some guys are noticeably happy about the new direction the team chose to go in (trading him), while still being as diplomatic as possible.

I dont believe that EK was the only problem in the room, but its pretty obvious that he was at very least a part of it. With the loss of his child and the trade rumors swirling, its easy to believe that he might have become withdrawn from the room (or had an inner circle) which allowed all sorts of cliques to form. Which wont work from your captain.

I do believe that it was best for him and the team to part ways. I think that Erik might even need it to grow as person, and will be a better guy because of it.

And since the trade has started looking much better than the horrendous disaster that it first looked like, and we've seen kids thrive in their new roles, Ive lost all anger at this point, personally.

great post.

best offensive defencemen since Orr , no doubt in my mind.

But I agree it was time to move on

 

[Micklebot]

well you have to put the BS in context. Allegedly they did offer him 8/88 or very close to it.

I understand how contract structure impacts the player but the team would have had to pay 88 million had he signed it.

I am curious why the EK side never negotiated off the initial offer

The implication made was they weren't offering a strong NTC after trying to trade him at the deadline and as a result he didn't trust them not to flip him in a sign and trade. Not sure i blame him. Then there are the rumours af a rift between him and Melnyk that could be the cause.

The idea that his contract was too much of a risk is fair particularly if we are going to be a 60-65 mil budget team. But if thats the assesment you trade him at the draft you don't even offer a contract (unless the intent is to flip him i guess). My issue with the trade is all the inconsistancies in their actions and artificial deadlines which imo destroyed our leverage. Trading him was dependable the process was not.

 

[Micklebot]

What was his market value? 11M/year was not enough? It’s the most he’d get even on the open market. No fool would pay more than that. Heck, I don’t even think there’s a defenseman in my opinion whose worth more than 10M. I’d only pay a generational forward north of 10M. Offensive defenseman are overrated IMO. The last defenseman who’d be worth north of 10M today, would be Lidstrom and Bourque. Karlsson is notch below those guys. They were exceptionally offensively and defensively. In the grand scheme of things Karlsson is more of a Phil Housely. A great offensive defenseman, certainly Hall of Fame calibre, but not generational. Last generational talent was Lidstrom, nobody today is generational.

No way he’s worth north of that. He’s not worth McDavid’s money. If he thought he was worth more than 11M/year and 88M was not good enough, then trading him was the right decision. That’s some serious ego, 11M IS market value. In 5 years he’ll already be 32...

We shall see, but the contracts other top d have gotten suggests your estimate of market value is not in line with those actually in a position to make the offers.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Sorry, but cheering for the Leafs as your second team is simply not a thing. It's not. You can "care less" about what we think of you, but you need to accept that no one will value any of your opinions and will likely just skip all your posts.

It's not thing. You can't cheer for the Leafs and Sens. You can't be hot AND cold. You can't be hungry and full.

Byeee

Who the hell are you to say who anyone else can or can't cheer for? Piss off with that garbage.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I really don’t see why players talking directly about the lock room is BS, or how it is in any way related to EM or PD. This seems like an obvious reach to me, and clear avoidance.

It seems obvious to me that players would say the regular platitudes about each other when they’re all on the same team, it’s when people are gone that we sometimes get some insight into how things really were. For their part the team has not said a single negative thing about EK, this has all come from the players.... Nice try though, I guess....

Anyways, I find the comments really interesting given that we don’t usually get insight into dressing room chemistry, and the fact that these comments have come from Duchene, Anderson, Stone, Wideman, and allegedly Brassard, makes things even spicier.

You guys go full bore on far less information on the regular, and yet here we are with Ice-Tray and friends being the big bad boogie men again, with EK as the hapless victim this time... lol...

Nac is making straw men about Stone and Duchy, North is going on and on and on deflecting, and the rest of the posse is defending like EK was cutting cheques (lol, you guys get paid for this stuff too right??)

The good news is that we have a team that plays for each other now, and is working hard for each other. It’s good news going forward. This seems to be what a team starts to look like when you put a premium on character along with talent.

Strawman...when the same thing happens every single time from the same group of posters? Smith was amazing...until management waived him, now he's nothing. Burrows was the bestest thing since sliced bread...until management decided to buy him out, now he's nothing. Brassard was a great 1B center...until he was traded to Pittsburgh, and the trinkets were received were sooooo awesome. Turris was The Man, until he was traded and now he's barely a 2C.

Over and over and over.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Trading Karl was the right move strategically. I've been saying this since around after the trade deadline. The numbers just don't work when we have been a 68M team (now less) and we had Phaborik, MacArthur, and Ryan as dead cap.

This doesn't absolve ownership of being responsible for the limitations they give our management to operate under that have lead to this. It doesn't absolve management of their brutal handling of the biggest trade in franchise history. Although, that might come back to ownership depending on how involved Melnyk was with the idea that we had to add Ryan at the deadline, or keep Karl until July 1st in order to make a mostly theatrical offer (because as of now we know they could make offers prior to that).

I understand there's a strong contingent who absolve ownership and instead place the blame for the budget on what they perceive to be a cheap fairweather fanbase.

Regardless, this Karlsson trade was the Senators only option under the parameters they operate within. That doesn't mean there isn't blame to go around.

 

[Dino Tkachuk]

Why are you purposely ignoring that there is more to a contract than the total dollar amount?

Why are you purposely ignoring that the offer was not market value and that EK was being asked to take LESS than market value to play on a team that will not spend money to be competitive?

I mean, I think we all know why a small group of you is purposely ignoring this, don't we.... (I know)

I think you are confusing market value with contract structure. $11M per year is in the ballpark for market value. Not including a NTC or any bonus money is a tough starting point in terms of contract structure but that is why they're called negotiations.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

How do people have second teams? I can never do that lol. It's Sens or nothing regardless of bad they are.

 

[albator71]

Exactly, 88M is a damn nice contract. Apparently it wasn’t enough. He was never going to sign here, instead of admitting to it, he played the victim rather than owning up to not wanting to sign in Ottawa.

Bingo!!! I could not agree with you more.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Why are you purposely ignoring that there is more to a contract than the total dollar amount?

Why are you purposely ignoring that the offer was not market value and that EK was being asked to take LESS than market value to play on a team that will not spend money to be competitive?

I mean, I think we all know why a small group of you is purposely ignoring this, don't we.... (I know)

He was offered the same AAV as Doughty was ......... and yes, without the huge Signing bonuses, as LA is large USA Market, and Ottawa is small Canadian market ....... but it's still a guaranteed 88 Million over the life of the contract ............ EK65 will have a hard time finding a team offering at least 88 million, or more, over the life of a contract, when he becomes an UFA.

It's clear to most people, that EK65 did not want to remain in Ottawa, and it looks like he was willing to leave millions of the table, to get out of town ........... and we'll see how much, when he becomes an UFA, and how much he signs for.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

How do people have second teams? I can never do that lol. It's Sens or nothing regardless of bad they are.

Could not agree with you more.

Last summer, a huge Boston fan suggested it is going to "fun" to watch the Leafs play that coming season.

I said I watched the Senators game, and would not waste a minute of my time watching the leafs, or any other team, unless it was vs the Senators.

Sure I'll watch a few playoff games, but watching regular season games that do not involve the Senators ....... I don't have that kind of time to waste.

 

[BondraTime]

Sorry, but cheering for the Leafs as your second team is simply not a thing. It's not. You can "care less" about what we think of you, but you need to accept that no one will value any of your opinions and will likely just skip all your posts.

It's not thing. You can't cheer for the Leafs and Sens. You can't be hot AND cold. You can't be hungry and full.

Byeee

I'm watching the Leafs 2nd most this year as well