Nyquist receives helping hand from Karlsson after trade to Sharks

BOSTON -- There was no "Nyquist" sign, but still Gustav Nyquist appreciated the effort. When he arrived at the airport off a flight from Detroit on Monday evening, there was San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson waiting to pick him up, a gesture of welcome from a new teammate who knows what it's like to be traded from the only NHL home you've ever known.

Nyquist and Karlsson, each veterans of the Sweden national team, had been texting in the wake of the Sunday night trade that sent Nyquist from the Detroit Red Wings to the San Jose Sharks for a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
They rode back to the team hotel, and then went out for an Italian dinner in Boston's North End, getting a chance to catch up and to bond over their newly shared situation, as the Sharks make a push to get back to the Stanley Cup Final and, this time, to capture the Cup.
RELATED: [Nyquist traded to Sharks by Red Wings | 2018-19 NHL Trade Tracker]
"We've known each other for a very long time," Karlsson said. "He's only been in Detroit, so he doesn't know too many guys on this team personally other than me. So, I felt like it was the right thing to do."
They move in some of the same circles, especially with Nyquist's former Detroit teammates, and have been on golf trips together before, in addition to their work playing for the national team.
"I know Erik well," Nyquist said. "We played together and we've hung out, we've been on trips together. Just a player of that caliber - joining a team that has a few of those. I'm just excited to be here."
It was the combination of those factors that made it an easy decision for Nyquist when approached about waiving his no-trade protection to head to the Sharks. Even if he was leaving the team that had drafted him in the fourth round (No. 121) in the 2008 NHL Draft, and for which he had played the entirety of his career.
"Once everything went down we talked and had dinner [Monday] and I kind of laid down the land," Karlsson said. "It's going to be a lot for him here in the beginning. It's the first time he got traded too. I know how that feels. It's all about trying to make it as easy as possible and letting him be him. I think he's going to fit in perfectly with this group."
It looked that way on Tuesday when Nyquist, who had 49 points (16 goals, 33 assists) in 62 games with the Red Wings this season, made his debut with the Sharks. Despite a bumpy 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, one in which the Sharks lost Karlsson to an undisclosed injury after the second period, it was a nice showing for Nyquist, who had one shot on goal and five shot attempts in 17:21.
"I liked him," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "I liked everything about him. He's a good hockey player. He's going to help us. … I was really impressed with what he did tonight and the potential of where he fits for us going forward."

It was a sentiment echoed by Joe Pavelski.
"I really liked [his game]," Pavelski said. "I wouldn't go as far as he was our best player out there, but he looked confident with the puck. He made some just good plays in the neutral zone. You can see the poise and his ability to move around and play that game where you can share the puck and skate and shoot."
With Nyquist positioned as the left wing on a third line centered by Joe Thornton - something Nyquist quipped was "not bad" - the Sharks now have the three-line attack of DeBoer's dreams.
"I think it's all about depth," said DeBoer, who reported that Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill raved about Nyquist when he called for a scouting report. "Last time we got to the Stanley Cup Final, [Tomas] Hertl was out, Pavelski was dealing with a concussion. If you want to go on any kind of deep run, you're going to need depth and I think the teams that get there are fortunate with their health or they have depth."
The Sharks now have depth.
Between the acquisition of Nyquist and the way that Thornton's game has improved of late - "I think he's a different player than he was even a month ago. I think he's really starting to get comfortable again," DeBoer said - there is confidence that the Sharks can match up with anyone. San Jose (37-19-8), which is five points behind the Calgary Flames for first place in the Pacific Division, can be a dynamic and dangerous opponent for any team in the Western Conference, and beyond.
"You just look at this lineup and every time you play them it's a hard team to play against," Nyquist said before the game. "I'm really excited to be here. Can't wait to get going. The guys have been great so far. They've been very welcoming."
Including Karlsson, who was happy to provide the perspective of his own experience, the perspective of trading one home for another, one team for another, as he did when the Sharks acquired him from the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 13.
Nyquist admitted, "It was a weird feeling, for sure. I've been with Detroit now for eight years, so that's kind of been my home, but right now I'm just excited."
It was felt long, getting from the confirmation that the trade was happening after the Red Wings' game against the Sharks on Sunday to the morning skate on Tuesday. Nyquist wasn't even quite sure what day it was by the time game day rolled around. He woke up on Monday morning, packed his bags, and jumped on a 4 p.m. flight to Boston.
That led him to Tuesday, and his debut with a team that he hopes can take him deep into June.
"With Detroit, obviously we missed a couple years in a row after being in the playoffs for a long, long time and expecting to be there," Nyquist said. "It looks like they're missing again. But right now, [I'm] coming to a team that we obviously want to go all the way here. I can't wait to help the team out as much as I can."