Karlsson happy to be with Senators after Trade Deadline

WASHINGTON -- Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson is looking forward to focusing simply on playing hockey now that the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline has passed and talk about him being traded put to rest, at least until after the season.

"The business part of things took over there for a little bit and it's going to be nice just to get back to playing hockey again, which is what I do and what I love," Karlsson said after the Senators' morning skate at Capital One Arena, where they will play the Washington Capitals on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, TSN5, RDS, NHL.TV)
The past few days were stressful ones for Karlsson and his pregnant wife, Melinda, with trade rumors swirling. The Senators selected Karlsson No. 15 in the 2008 NHL Draft and the 27-year-old defenseman has played nine seasons for Ottawa, so when the deadline passed without him being traded, he said he was relieved.
"I never wanted to leave," Karlsson said. "I never had any say in that. That's a different part of the business that I can't control. Hearing your name being thrown around as much as it was was very stressful and not something I enjoyed going through. I love it here. I've always loved it here. I think the city of Ottawa has really made it home for me. I love everything about it. I love the fans and I'm at peace where I'm at. I signed long-term to be here for a reason."

Karlsson's six-year contract expires after next season, making him eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2019. The Senators can sign Karlsson to an extension beginning July 1, and general manager Pierre Dorion said Monday he plans to make a contract offer if he's still their property.
The key word there is "if." Karlsson and Dorion met briefly Monday, but Karlsson said they have yet to discuss a contract extension. He doesn't expect that to happen before July 1.
"I think the business part is going to have to wait for me a little bit here, and when that time comes, that decision is going to be made on my part, and whatever the big bosses decide is not going to be my decision," he said.
Karlsson repeated how much he loves playing for Ottawa and said he recently bought a home in the city. But he sounded like he wants to see the Senators rebuilding plan before committing to a long-term extension.
"I've been here for a very long time and I've made Ottawa my home and it's always going to be my home," Karlsson said. "So, when that time comes, I hope that there's a place for me in the future and that this team is going in the direction that I would like it to for us to have a chance to win in the near future."

The Senators (21-30-10) are 17 points out of the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with 21 games remaining. That led them to trade forwards Nate Thompson, Derick Brassard and Nicholas Shore, and defenseman Dion Phaneuf for pieces for the future over the past two weeks.
"We're not remotely close to making the playoffs and things like this are going to happen. It's nothing abnormal," said Karlsson, who helped the Senators reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final last season. "It's sad to see guys like that go, veteran guys that have been around for a long time. I'm close friends with all of them, so I wish them all the best, and hopefully the returns that we got are going to help us in the future, which I'm sure that it will, and those are just the things that happen under the circumstances that we're in."
Karlsson has 42 points (five goals, 37 assists) in 56 games this season, second on the Senators behind forward Mark Stone, who has 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists). Karlsson missed the first five games of the season recovering from offseason surgery to repair torn tendons in his left foot. He said his foot impacted his play in the first half, but he's healthy now.
"Around Christmastime was when I started to really feel good," he said. "As of right now, I feel probably the best I have in a very long time. So I'm excited to play the rest of this season and try to improve my game and head into the summer and make sure when I come back next season I'm going to be in the best shape that I've ever been."