Erik Karlsson's Perspective: From Visitor to Valued Penguin

Erik Karlsson has been to Pittsburgh many times throughout his career, but typically stayed downtown - primarily Market Square - when in town as a member of the opposing team.

Visiting this week as a member of the Penguins, following a three-team trade that went through on Sunday, has provided a new and enjoyable perspective. The superstar defenseman spent time at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, touring the facilities and surrounding area, before heading to PPG Paints Arena.

"It's nice to kind of see what it's actually like," said Karlsson, who's played the last few years in San Jose. "The thing that surprised me the most was how green it is here and how hilly it is, which I think is beautiful. So, that was a pleasant surprise that I obviously did not know before. I've also had the chance to, in the past, play Oakmont a couple of times. That is beautiful, so I know there's some good golf around here, which is nice (laughs).

"It's been a lot of pleasant surprises, I think, coming in here and seeing it from a different view and different perspective than just coming in and out, going to the visiting locker room and the bus and the airport."

Karlsson was good-natured and genial when meeting with the media to discuss the blockbuster deal that has made this city his new home after the cumulation of a long process filled with ups and downs for Erik and his family. He's especially thrilled to be on this side now after being on the wrong end of some battles with the Penguins in the past, most notably when his Ottawa Senators got eliminated in double overtime of Game 7 in the 2017 Eastern Conference Final.

"Obviously, I've played against Pittsburgh many times, and lost to them a few times when they went on to win the ultimate prize," Karlsson said. "That's something they know how to do here, and the players that they've had here for a long time are still really good players. I'm really excited to step into that group and learn a lot of things, and also at the same time, hopefully bring some new things and help them become even better.

"Because I think that's what you have to do within a group, is help each other out and push each other. I feel like, from the whole organization here and this team, that's something they've been very good at, for a very long time. I feel like that's something that they still have in them, and I'm really excited to be a part of that."

Trade background from Karlsson's perspective

Karlsson originally signed with San Jose believing they could win, but the Sharks missed the playoffs each of his four seasons there, and are now rebuilding. At this point in his career, he wants a chance to compete for a championship, and the Sharks were willing to facilitate that. Karlsson said he and Sharks general manager Mike Grier had an open and honest dialogue throughout the entire process.

"I didn't have a preferred destination, per se. I didn't give them a short list of, 'this is where I would like to go, and this is only it,'" Karlsson explained. "So once the ball kind of started to roll, once the Stanley Cup playoffs were over, it came down to a lot of interest to only a few teams that were possibly going to be able to do it. Pittsburgh was one of them."

Karlsson had permission to speak with certain clubs that were interested in making a trade happen, so Penguins management and the coaching staff shared their vision and the potential fit. But apart from that, Karlsson said it was difficult to get a grasp on where trade talks stood, as he was not in most of the conversations behind the scenes.

"I got updates here and there… other than that, it's just been a lot of waiting around for me," Karlsson said. "But I'm familiar with Pittsburgh from my days starting in Ottawa and so on. Kind of knew quite a bit about it without really knowing that much. So, it was exciting when I heard that they were interested, so I'm happy it worked out at the end."

Lots of familiar faces should make for a good transition

Once everything came together, Karlsson said a lot of guys on the team reached out, and he already feels welcomed. "I'm also going to come in here having some familiar faces that I've been around before, so that's going to be a comfort as well," Karlsson said.

He knows the Big Three - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang - from various All-Star Games and other league events over the years. He played in Ottawa with assistant general manager Jason Spezza. He's met Rickard Rakell a few times at some Swedish national team events, and they have mutual friends. He played junior hockey with Lars Eller in Frolunda. And, most recently, Karlsson was teammates with Matt Nieto - "he was a great guy and someone I hung out with quite a bit on the road for dinners and stuff" - and Andreas Johnsson in San Jose.

"It's going to be nice to not have to step into a locker room where you don't really know anyone. I think that's going to be a little bit of a comfort, especially early on, just to get a grasp on how things really work," Karlsson said.

And while Karlsson doesn't know Mike Sullivan that well yet, he almost feels like he does, because of the similarities between the Penguins head coach and Sharks bench boss David Quinn. The two of them have been friends since playing college hockey together at Boston University.

"I've met Sully throughout the years, but I didn't really make the connection between him and David Quinn until I first talked to him, because they sound pretty much the same and have the same dialect," Karlsson laughed. "I could tell that they're both Boston guys, so I figured they were good pals."

Karlsson had a great relationship with Quinn, so knowing that he and Sullivan come from similar backgrounds is a comforting thought.

"From everything I've heard about him from other players and people that have come in contact with him is only good things," Karlsson said. "He's been here for a long time for a reason, so that only gives me good feelings about it. So I'm excited to see how it really works. Because I've only played against him for so long, and you think you know a lot of things, but it's going to be nice to be on the inside of that group now."

Two No. 1 defensemen is a blessing, not a curse

Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas said he spoke to Letang, Pittsburgh's longtime franchise defenseman, about how they saw Karlsson fitting into the group.

"Unsurprisingly with Kris, it was very clearly, 'whatever's going to make us better and help us win,'" Dubas said. "So, I think this process has also shown me why it was appealing for me to come here (after five seasons as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs), because Sully and the group of guys that have won here all together - that's all they care about. They're not worried about their power-play time; they're not worried about anything other than winning."

Karlsson feels the same way, and doesn't anticipate any sort of conflict when it comes to sharing the blue line with Letang.

"Coming in here, where you have a lot of strong players that have been here for a long time and had extreme success, I'm excited to be able to work alongside guys like that and to learn things and progress my game," Karlsson said. "I hope that what I bring is going to help them out as well. I think at the end of the day, we're all trying to do the same thing, which is to win hockey games, and to win a Cup. If we all pull on the same rope, no matter how it all plays out, I don't think that it's going to be an issue."

The Penguins foresee Karlsson and Letang making up the right side of the top four, with Ryan Graves and Marcus Pettersson making up the left, with exact pairings to be determined. When asked what he values in a defense partner, all Karlsson is looking for is someone who wants to reach their full potential.

"I want to do as well as I possibly can to help the team and be successful, and I would like that for everybody around me as well," Karlsson said. "So, from everything that I've heard and kind of figured out so far is that the group here is very good with that and very driven in that regard. I think for me, that's the most important thing, to try and maximize every player's performance and skill set no matter what that is."

Finding the joy again

The Penguins are ecstatic to get a player like Karlsson, the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's top defenseman and the best offensive blueliner of his generation … who comes to Pittsburgh feeling like he's in a really good spot.

"I think that I found the joy in the game again this year for real, and I just love it," Karlsson said.

His health is a big part of that, as Karlsson has experienced some terrible luck in that regard. And his personal life is a big part of that, as Erik feels that his family, with wife Melinda and their two children, is settled and stable.

"It's just been a lot of things throughout the years I think that's been hard to deal with, in a way," he said. "At the time, you don't really think it affects you that much. But looking back, it's always not as easy to deal with certain things like injuries and some other stuff."

Now, Karlsson loves coming to the rink every day, and had a lot of fun playing hockey even though it wasn't under the easiest of circumstances as the Sharks finished with the league's fourth-worst record. He's looking to build on those positive feelings in a new situation that will hopefully result in hardware shaped like a silver chalice.

"He's a very competitive, very motivated person who wants to come here and help our team," Dubas said.