Big Read: A decade after he first emerged as one of the most dominant defencemen the game has ever seen, Erik Karlsson is adjusting to a new, quieter reality. But No. 65 still believes he can be great. And he doesn’t care who agrees. By: SachdevaSonny
The trophies and historic comparisons have been replaced with skeptical looks. But Erik Karlsson, once the most dominant defenceman in the world, is still chasing greatness and a Stanley Cup.trewn across the white ceiling of the San Jose Sharks’ practice facility, between canary yellow beams that shine like an homage to the California sun, are white light fixtures in the shape of giant metal-and-glass asterisks.
Middleton and his young teammates saw Karlsson embody those four words over the off-season, saw him push for that gruelling, incremental growth as the months wore on. But the veteran of 12 NHL campaigns didn’t try to find it through a relentless onslaught in the weight room or by piling up endless hours on the ice. Much like that sprint to the corner, Karlsson’s approach is more calculated. “I think his biggest philosophy is just listening to his body,” says Middleton.
“And Erik’s a high performer. Erik understands what a high performer is. A high performer is somebody that performs wellIt’s that sense of restraint that stood out most to strength and conditioning coach David Labentowicz when he and Karlsson trained together in 2018, during the blue-liner’s final summer as a Senator. Karlsson came by his gym looking to increase his power heading into the 2018-19 campaign, the two connecting after Labentowicz worked with Karlsson’s wife, Melinda.
That determination was evident in Karlsson’s early play. Starting the year with a fire in his eyes, he seemed in vintage form — particularly when it came to perhaps his greatest skill: those simple sequences he’d been walking Ferraro through before the season began. “Yes, he’s offensive and yes, he can run a power play and all that, but for me, it’s his exits out of the defensive zone,” says Boughner of the most important aspect of Karlsson’s skillset.
That the Sens were just two years removed from a Stanley Cup Final appearance when he arrived helped immensely, too. “We had a very veteran group and I came into an organization that had been very successful for a very long time. So, everybody that was on that team knew what they were doing,” Karlsson says. “They embraced me for who I was and the way that I play the game. And I played with some really good players.
Soon came the transition from intriguing prospect to generational talent. There was no more hiding in the quiet of the Ottawa market. But Karlsson was unfazed by the ascent. “That has never really affected me in any way,” he says of the cameras, interviews and scrutiny. “I’ve always liked to have a lot of responsibilities and with responsibilities comes a lot of asks and, you know, people are pulling you in different directions. But I think that my approach to the game has never changed.
More importantly, just like that puck waiting in the corner, he knew he didn’t need to look backwards. “Ottawa is not going to go anywhere,” he says. “That’s going to be my off-season home. All of my friends are still going to be around. I’m not going to see them as much as I used to, but nothing there is going to change.” Instead, all nerves were steeled, all focus directed at getting back to playing the game he loves, back to the ice.
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