Post-Game Talk: Game 11 | Sharks in Ottawa @ 7pm | SN1, SN360, TVAS

[SPF6ty9]

Now I really enjoy watching King (-minus) Karlsson play!

King Minus, everything he touches turns up in the back of his net?

He doesn't look right. But I've been saying that about him for awhile now and at some point it may just be who he is now.

 

[aragorn]

- this team is so different with L. Brown, Paul & Tkchuck in the lineup & they looked great against SJ.

- while it's still very early in the season, SJ's age looks like it is catching up to them, there time seems to have passed them by, although they still have a few decent players on that roster.

- C. Brown is a complete player, he does everything well, he just needs to score himself a little more often, but assists are every bit as important as goals too.

- nice to see a coach finally give Nick Paul some decent ice time & play him on a line with some decent players for a change. At some point this season I would like to see them reunite Paul - L. Brown - Batherson.

- Ottawa could have another good group of players who could be regular NHLers in the near future in Formenton - Norris - Batherson. This has the makings of another good line.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Yep yep.

And I mean, let's get real here, no fan in their right mind wishes success for opposite team if that hurts the team they do cheer for. Pretending otherwise is disingenuous and harder to respect imo.

Yup I can feel bad for san jose fans but I want them to finish as low as f***ing possible

 

[NyQuil]

I'm not going to write off Karlsson based on one (very) bad game.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Yep yep.

And I mean, let's get real here, no fan in their right mind wishes success for opposite team if that hurts the team they do cheer for. Pretending otherwise is disingenuous and harder to respect imo.

Sharks fans were thrilled with the Karlsson and Heatley trades (as they should have been) while those were pretty low points for the Sens franchise

Why exactly is it a bad thing to cheer against them this year? With the Sens being the league's farm team over the last few years, I can only hope we can reap the rewards off another team's failures.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Karlsson was not good to start last season in San Jose.

I haven't seen very much of him this season.

At about the 15 or so game mark, he started playing like a franchise defenseman. He was completely controlling games and for a 20+ game sample size was scoring at a 90+ point pace. But then he got hurt again.

I'd be curious about his current health.

 

[SpezDispenser]

If you all haven’t had a chance to listen to his interview Friday, I think, please do. I wasn’t surprised to see him play like he did last night following that interview.

Ok will do.

 

[Tuna99]

EKs post game comments were kinda sad to listen to. He’s repeated those lines so many times during the gong show that is Ottawa and now he’s saying them one San Jose.

Sad because San Jose is supposed to be good, and they are tanking. And hearing him with that disappointed tone of voice but no answers, sucks

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

Karlsson was not good to start last season in San Jose.

I haven't seen very much of him this season.

At about the 15 or so game mark, he started playing like a franchise defenseman. He was completely controlling games and for a 20+ game sample size was scoring at a 90+ point pace. But then he got hurt again.

I'd be curious about his current health.

Makes you wonder. He hasn't been injured in quite a while and just had a full summer to train/rehab. I wonder if some of his injuries have taken a permanent toll on him.

I always have wondered with Karlsson how hard he trains in the off season. I dont like to speculate on that stuff because we really have no way of knowing. But he is always a slow started and I've heard comments like how he doesnt have to train as hard because he's a genetic freak.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Makes you wonder. He hasn't been injured in quite a while and just had a full summer to train/rehab. I wonder if some of his injuries have taken a permanent toll on him.

I always have wondered with Karlsson how hard he trains in the off season. I dont like to speculate on that stuff because we really have no way of knowing. But he is always a slow started and I've heard comments like how he doesnt have to train as hard because he's a genetic freak.

He had groin issues all through the back end and playoffs last year.

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

He had groin issues all through the back end and playoffs last year.

Ya, he could barely walk after games in the playoffs last year. That was about 4-5 months ago now. I wonder if those injuries are still effecting him. If they are, hopefully he can overcome them.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

I think it kind of bears mentioning that Ottawa pasted San Jose 6-2 a little less than a year ago.

San Jose came within 2 games of the SCF and Ottawa finished dead last.

Last night was an awesome game but this by no means is an indicator that San Jose will be bad or that Ottawa has made any real improvements.

 

[GWNR]

Got free tickets so decided to go for the first time since 2017-2018.

What a game. The best they've played in a long time.

There's zero reason Nick Paul and Logan Brown shouldn't be in the lineup. Both played well and Brady was an asbolute beast.

I know that's not how the team plays every night, but it was a very good game. Lots of aggression too from both sides, which was nice.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I think it kind of bears mentioning that Ottawa pasted San Jose 6-2 a little less than a year ago.

San Jose cam within 2 games of the SCF and Ottawa finished dead last.

Last night was an awesome game but this by no means is an indicator that San Jose will be bad or that Ottawa has made any real improvements.

It's early in the season and the Sharks could easily turn it around, but this game isn't why people are hard on the Sharks atm. They've been a disaster 5-on-5 for a month now.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Injuries are catching up to Karlsson. He's going to need to be very mindful of things young phenoms don't need to think about if he wants to stay at the top of his game.

His chewing of tobacco or whatever that thing is probably doesn't help his body recover as fast as it can for example.

Turning 30 is quite shock for people who are naturally gifted: suddenly things that we taken for granted aren't granted anymore. You don't recover as fast, your digestion isn't as good etc... Now you have to think about all these things you never had to and it is jarring, a bit humiliating and rather difficult.

The flip side is if he finds a way through it, he very well could have a résurgence in his 30+ years like Alfie did.

 

[saskytaxi]

Injuries are catching up to Karlsson. He's going to need to be very mindful of things young phenoms don't need to think about if he wants to stay at the top of his game.

His chewing of tobacco or whatever that thing is probably doesn't help his body recover as fast as it can for example.

Turning 30 is quite shock for people who are naturally gifted: suddenly things that we taken for granted aren't granted anymore. You don't recover as fast, your digestion isn't as good etc... Now you have to think about all these things you never had to and it is jarring, a bit humiliating and rather difficult.

The flip side is if he finds a way through it, he very well could have a résurgence in his 30+ years like Alfie did.

Interesting take. I always thought that about him until playoffs 2017 he seemed like he wanted the cup so bad and turned into a true warrior.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

It's early in the season and the Sharks could easily turn it around, but this game isn't why people are hard on the Sharks atm. They've been a disaster 5-on-5 for a month now.

True but they looked pretty terrible early in the year last year too, IIRC.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Interesting take. I always thought that about him until playoffs 2017 he seemed like he wanted the cup so bad and turned into a true warrior.

Odds are good that the 2017 playoffs were the point of no-return for him: he has been struggling in terms of health since then.

I'm very confused why you'd say "I thought the same until the 2017 playoffs". My whole point was that, since then, he simply hasn't been the same and that he's 29 now. Father time doesn't slow down for anybody.

 

[Samsquanch]

I'm not going to write off Karlsson based on one (very) bad game.

To quote (paraphrasing) Pete Deboer last night when asked if he felt coming home to Ottawa was a distraction for Karlsson "this isnt the only place that hes been a minus for us" with a fairly annoyed looked on his face thats begs you to read between the lines...

Now I know this is a pretty sensitive topic here because King K was easily the most talented player ever to wear Sens jersey, but hes just simply not the same player anymore (ie a guy whos almost unanimously considered the best Dman and a top 5 player). Injuries and father time have caught up to him.

Hes still capable of some great things and making some plays that only few other players can make, and hes always going to get points and be a premier puck mover. But the 60 minutes of ice tilting magic that we used to see on most nights from is all but gone now, in my estimation.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

To quote (paraphrasing) Pete Deboer last night when asked if he felt coming home to Ottawa was a distraction for Karlsson "this isnt the only place that hes been a minus for us" with a fairly annoyed looked on his face...

Now I know this is a pretty sensitive topic here because King K was easily the most talented player every to wear Sens jersey, but hes just simply not the same player anymore (ie a guy whos almost unanimously considered the best Dman and top 5 player). Injuries and father time have caught up to him.

Hes still capable of some great things and making some plays that only few other players can make, and hes always going to get points and be a premier puck mover. But the 60 minutes of ice tilting magic that we used to see on most nights from is all but gone now, in my estimation.

That's most likely why he didn't "get paid" here. Too much risk.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

That's most likely why he didn't "get paid" here. Too much risk.

He probably wouldn't have gotten paid if there was no risk either.

 

[SpezDispenser]

If you all haven’t had a chance to listen to his interview Friday, I think, please do. I wasn’t surprised to see him play like he did last night following that interview.

Great interview, I had a chance to listen to all of it just now. His attitude is exactly what you want in a young player on a young team and he has respect for Mann and this coaching staff.

I think perhaps all of the young players coming up should listen to that interview about making mistakes and letting it slide off you.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

To quote (paraphrasing) Pete Deboer last night when asked if he felt coming home to Ottawa was a distraction for Karlsson "this isnt the only place that hes been a minus for us" with a fairly annoyed looked on his face thats begs you to read between the lines...

Now I know this is a pretty sensitive topic here because King K was easily the most talented player ever to wear Sens jersey, but hes just simply not the same player anymore (ie a guy whos almost unanimously considered the best Dman and top 5 player). Injuries and father time have caught up to him.

Hes still capable of some great things and making some plays that only few other players can make, and hes always going to get points and be a premier puck mover. But the 60 minutes of ice tilting magic that we used to see on most nights from is all but gone now, in my estimation.

Terrible game.. Not a great start to the season. Had surgery in the off season. I am willing to see how he is half way and if he can get and stay healthy.

 

[Back in Black]

Good to know it wasn't just me noticing Karlsson's game!

 

[SpezDispenser]

Signing Karlsson to an 8 year deal at 28 1/2 or whatever he was when he signed was a gargantuan risk. The kind of risk you fully expect to blow up in your face around year 4 of that contract, but now I wonder if it even gets to year 4 before he's been shopped aggressively around.

And I'm a HUGE fan of Karlsson, but man oh man, his body has taken some hard miles already and this is a young man's league. Guys pushing 30 and signing 8 year contracts are such a risk it's almost not worth it anymore - and Karlsson is absolutely NO exception.