Karlsson is a loyal man. I think he will stay, despite Melnyk and all the trade rumours. He's a proud man, and I think he knows his legacy will be tainted if he switches teams. Everyone little boy wants to be the guy that carries a team to a Stanley Cup. I know Karlsson was a little boy with that dream, because just look at him: Long flowing hair, a beard. He winks and laughs during games. He gets super intense and hates to lose like no one else (ex, Silver Medal comment). He isn't just some guy who plays hockey for a living. He is the living embodiment of a hockey player. This is his team, and I think he's just trying to remind management that the fans love the guys who wear the jerseys far more than those who wear the suits.
Loyal or not, he saw his idol and father figure leave after a legacy of his own. He didn't even go to a contender, he went to a team arguably worst than Ottawa, lmao.
Karlsson will remain if our management and owner legit swallow their pride and say "EK, we will do everything possible to bring a cup here but you may have to be a bit patient for a year or two."
In a year or two, imo, we will have very strong support cast coming up playing prominent roles in Tkachuk, Batherson, White, Brown, Jaros etc... Stone and Duchene should be hitting their peak, respectively.
How many times is Karlsson going to skate off the bench when Zack Smith can't collect his clear cut breakaway pass?
I'll be honest though, anyone who tracked my posts remembered that my hopes for a cup rested on the slim dream of acquiring Tavares. We need one more elite top end talent to complement EK and for us to go on a run. If we can't do that(due to Melnyk not wanting to spend), we should not waste EK's years here and send him off to a team that can.
