Karlsson is the rare player who can change a game every time he steps onto the ice. The San Jose Sharks acquired him in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 13, 2018. He signed an eight-year contract June 17, 2019 to avoid becoming an unrestricted free agent and completed his first NHL hat trick at 32-years-old, also the first by a Sharks player in their history, in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 1, 2022. He joined Nicklas Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, Ed Jovanovski and Lubomir Visnovsky as NHL defensemen age 32 or older to get a hat trick. On Nov. 27, Karlsson had two assists in a 4-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks to become the first defenseman in Sharks history to get at least 20 points in a calendar month. And to begin 2023, he had two assists to set a Sharks record 13-game point streak in a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Jan. 1.
Karlsson established himself not only as one of the NHL's best defensemen, but as one of its top players at any position. His speed, puck sense and passing are superb, and he's proven to be durable and tough despite playing heavy minutes on a nightly basis.
Karlsson is the rare player who can change a game every time he steps onto the ice. The San Jose Sharks acquired him in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 13, 2018. He signed an eight-year contract June 17, 2019 to avoid becoming an unrestricted free agent and completed his first NHL hat trick at 32-years-old, also the first by a Sharks player in their history, in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 1, 2022. He joined Nicklas Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, Ed Jovanovski and Lubomir Visnovsky as NHL defensemen age 32 or older to get a hat trick. On Nov. 27, Karlsson had two assists in a 4-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks to become the first defenseman in Sharks history to get at least 20 points in a calendar month. And to begin 2023, he had two assists to set a Sharks record 13-game point streak in a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Jan. 1.
Karlsson established himself not only as one of the NHL's best defensemen, but as one of its top players at any position. His speed, puck sense and passing are superb, and he's proven to be durable and tough despite playing heavy minutes on a nightly basis.
For example, On Feb. 13, 2013, Karlsson sustained a 70 percent tear in his left Achilles tendon and required surgery. But he was back in uniform less than three months later and helped the Senators advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Born in Landsbro, Sweden, Karlsson is a product of the Frolunda HC system in his home country. He was selected by the Senators in the first round (No. 15) of the 2008 NHL Draft. The draft was held at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, with Senators captain and fellow Swede Daniel Alfredsson taking the stage to announce the selection. To make sure he got his man, general manager Bryan Murray traded Ottawa's first-round pick (No. 18) and a third-round selection to the Nashville Predators to move up three spots and secure Karlsson.
Karlsson had a breakout season in 2011-12, his third in the NHL, finishing with 78 points (19 goals, 59 assists) and winning the Norris Trophy as the League's top defenseman, edging Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and Shea Weber of the Predators. In doing so, Karlsson became the second Sweden-born player to win the Norris -- following one of his idols, Nicklas Lidstrom -- and the third player under 23 years old to win the award, joining Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin.
Karlsson scored 20 goals in 2013-14 and 21 in 2014-15, when he won the Norris Trophy for the second time, then tied for fourth in the NHL with 82 points (16 goals, 66 assists) in 2015-16. It was the first time a defenseman finished in the top five in scoring since 1985-86, when Paul Coffey of the Edmonton Oilers was third with 138.
He had 71 points (17 goals, 54 assists) in 2016-17, when he was named an NHL First All-Star Team for the third straight season. Despite playing with an injured left foot that required offseason surgery, Karlsson led the Senators in postseason scoring with 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games, although Ottawa lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins in double overtime.
Though the Senators failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2017-18, Karlsson finished with 62 points (nine goals, 53 assists) despite missing 11 games because of injuries. In his first season with the Sharks, Karlsson helped them reach the 2019 Western Conference Final, when they lost in six games to eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. He had 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in 19 playoff games after he had 45 (three goals, 42 assists) in 53 games in the regular season.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- NHL First All-Star Team (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017)
- Olympic All-Star Team (2014)
- Best Defenseman -- Olympics (2014)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023)
- Signed as a free agent by Jokerit Helsinki (Finland), September 26, 2012.
- Traded to San Jose by Ottawa with Francis Perron for Chris Tierney, Dylan DeMelo, Rudolfs Balcers, Josh Norris, San Jose's 1st-round pick in 2019 or 2020 NHL Draft, a 2nd-round pick in 2019 NHL Draft and two conditional picks, September 13, 2018.
