CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Erik Karlsson wants to win at the highest level.
That seems obvious. It’s always been true.
But at 35 years old, it feels more urgent for the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 is key. Karlsson expects to be there with Sweden.
“I'm aiming to play in the Olympics. As of right now, I think I'm a lock on that team,” Karlsson said on Thursday. “I still have to prove myself and show them I can still play at a very high level. I think I've done that up until now, but now I've got to continue that.”
Karlsson wasn’t among the first six players announced for Team Sweden on June 16. They were forwards Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Landeskog, Lucas Raymond and William Nylander, and defensemen Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin.
Still, the path is simple -- play well for Pittsburgh, secure a place with Sweden.
“That's obviously a big motivator for me,” Karlsson said. “Same as it is a big motivator for me to come in here and show that I can be a top player in this league still, which I believe I still am."
And the Penguins stand to benefit.
In February, Karlsson had one goal and two assists in three games for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in eight games for Pittsburgh the same month.
That has to be the norm.
“Erik’s an extraordinarily proud person,” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said. “(Playing in the Olympics) is a very important item for him. So, he just has a huge amount of incentive this season. He’s going to want to win before he retires and he’s going to want to play at the highest level of best-on-best hockey.
“I think (if) the way he played last year at the 4 Nations is any indication, we’ll see a great version of Erik this year.”
Karlsson has 109 points (22 goals, 87 assists) in 164 games with Pittsburgh, most among its defensemen but little more than his 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) in 82 games for the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23, when he won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman.
The Penguins have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past three seasons and twice since acquiring Karlsson from the Sharks on Aug. 6, 2023, in a three-team trade involving the Montreal Canadiens.
Amid a retool, Karlsson has been part of trade speculation, along with forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell.
“I think we have to always look, every single day, at what’s best for the organization,” Dubas said. “So, we’re not in a spot where we’re coming off being deep in the playoffs consecutive years. The team has missed the playoffs for three years and the job is to return us there. Regardless of what that creates on the rumor front or anything like that, we’re always looking for ways to help propel the team back to where we want it to get to.
“We also aren’t just going to make deals to offload very key, important people in the organization that have given a lot to the organization in their time. If the right return is there, we would look at anything. In the meantime, we’re going to do everything we can to get the most out of those guys.”
Karlsson blocked out the noise.
“Didn't really hear much other than what I read from you guys and all the other people around the League, which is typical for the offseason, I think,” Karlsson said. “I know I'm in the position I'm in, but on my end, it was a very quiet and relaxing summer.
“I'm sure there was a lot of rumblings and I'm sure there's been some discussions here and there, which is, again, fairly normal. But from my side, not at the level where there was anything that I had to be worried about or take into consideration.”
Entering his 17th NHL season, Karlsson has never won the Stanley Cup. The Penguins were meant to help.
Pittsburgh will be competitive, he said. Not long ago, that came with championship aspirations.
And now?
"It's tough to say,” Karlsson said. “If we can hang early on in the year, start winning some games early on and get a good feeling in this group, we'll see where it can take us. But I don't think we should try and look too far ahead. ... Hopefully, we can get off to a decently good start and get some good feeling in here and we'll take it from there."
