Erik Karlsson seems headed to free agency as he thanks SJ, Rangers likely to investigate
Erik Karlsson just tweeted out a thank you to the Sharks and the city of San Jose that reads like a goodbye note.
The reaction by almost everyone in the hockey community is that EK65 will be heading to free agency versus staying in SJ. One thing to add here is that this could be a mutual decision and not just a Karlsson desire.
San Jose is an aging team with their biggest star Joe Thornton contemplating retirement. So it is very possible that the Sharks could be at that all important shift to rebuilding and getting younger.
The Rangers likely to kick the tires on EK65 this summer
Recently we told you of the reports out of Sweden where Henrik Lundqvist was asked about Erik Karlsson. In order to avoid any issue with translation I spoke with reporter Robin Lindgreen who gave me the proper translation on Henrik’s response to Karlsson.
“Q: So are you going to contact him via [text] to try to convince him into moving to NY? A: Yeah, we´ll see about that. It’s such a important decision for him and his family, so you don’t want to push him too hard into something. But I’m pretty sure he’ll get texts from plenty of players in the league because he’s such a skilled player that can make the difference. But of course we want him to our team.”
Most reporters and insiders think that the top two landing spots for Karlsson this summer is either TB or NY. Although Tampa made a push to trade for him, they have some serious cap issues to work out before signing him.
One thing’s for sure, the Rangers will at least explore and talk to Erik Karlsson if he indeed is heading to free agency. Henrik Lundqvist wouldn’t have made such a comment if he didn’t think the Rangers would. You can also add to that the fact Gorton admitted he needs to address the Rangers defense. He started doing so by acquiring Adam Fox from Carolina when he could’ve waited to sign him as a free agent next summer.
It’s going to be an interesting time over the next few weeks around here.
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