Benning upbeat about Sharks despite Karlsson trade

EDMONTON -- Matt Benning is taking a positive approach to this season for the San Jose Sharks despite the departure of reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.

"He was our leading point-getter as a defenseman and at the end of a game, when we were down, we were definitely looking at him," Benning said Tuesday while attending a hockey camp. "But when guys leave there are opportunities for other guys to jump in and get a hold of that."

Karlsson had 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) in 82 games last season and won the Norris for the third time, voted as the NHL's top defenseman (2012, 2015). He became the sixth defenseman in NHL history to reach 100 points in a season and the first since Brian Leetch had 102 for the New York Rangers in 1991-92.

Karlsson was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Aug. 6, in a three-team deal also involving the Montreal Canadiens. San Jose received forwards Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta and a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Sharks also acquired forward Anthony Duclair in a trade with the Florida Panthers on July 1.

"I think we're trying to build around 'Tommy' (center Tomas Hertl), 'Coutch' (center Logan Couture) and those types of guys, guys that have played in the League for a couple of years," Benning said. "Obviously 'Karl' and (forward) Timo [Meier] will be missed, but we have some new young guys coming in and there will be lots of opportunity out there, and hopefully that will make young guys excited to get ready for camp."

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Meier was traded to the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 26. He had 52 points (31 goals, 21 assists) in 57 games for San Jose last season.

Benning is going into his second season with the Sharks. He signed a four-year contract San Jose on July 13, 2022, after playing the previous two seasons with the Nashville Predators. Benning had 24 points (one goal, 23 assists) in 77 games last season for the Sharks (22-44-16), who finished seventh in the Pacific Division and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fourth straight season.

"We have new pieces coming in for the guys that have moved out," Benning said. "We've got Duclair coming in and Mikael Granlund and guys that are established and know how to play. I think there is going to be opportunity there."

Making up the production lost by trading Meier and Karlsson doesn't figure to be easy for the Sharks. It will have to be a collective effort, according to Benning.

"I've been working hard this summer and will be trying to provide more offense," Benning said. "I'm not Erik, but hopefully, I can bring some offense to the table and help some of our forwards out. I think last year, I did I good job of getting my shots through, and the forwards did a good job of getting to the net and we had a few goals come that way. Even though we're going to miss Erik and Timo and some of the pieces we lost, I think we can find other ways to score as well."

As a right-shot defenseman, Benning was not often partnered with Karlsson, but he did watch him closely. While with Nashville, Benning got to play alongside another top offensive defenseman, Roman Josi.

"I've been fortunate in the last three years to play with Roman Josi, who had 96 points (23 goals, 73 assists in 80 games in 2021-22) and Karl, who had over 100," Benning said. "Just the things they do are pretty special. They are things that I can't do -- you won't be catching me trying those things in a game -- but just the skill level, the mindset they have, and although I'm not that type of player, I tried to pick their brain and ask what they're seeing in each situation and tried to learn from them that way.

"There are definitely some things that you can learn off those guys. The best way to learn is to watch them, and then ask them questions."

Benning believes the Sharks will be an improved and more balanced team this season.

"The season was what it was, but if you look at how many games we lost by one goal, and how many leads we had going into the third period that we gave up, there is room for improvement," Benning said. "We had a lot of new people in the lineup, myself included, and it takes some time to learn systems and those sorts of things. But I think guys are excited and motivated to come back and get going early on and try to create an identity for our team, which I think we lacked a little bit last season."