ERIK KARLSSON: SWIMMING TO SAN JOSE
The San Jose Sharks have landed one of the most coveted players on the market. After making their first appearance in franchise history and falling short in the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, the Sharks are hungry and have gone all in for this coming season. On September 13, 2018, Erik Karlsson was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the San Jose Sharks. In return, the Senators received four players along with a first and second round draft pick. Erik Karlsson is an elite talent and is considered a top, if not the top defender in the NHL. Karlson has won two Norris Trophies (defensive player of the year) in 2011 and 2015.
Karlsson now joins another elite defensive player, Brent Burns, who won the Norris Trophy in 2017. Between Burns and Karlsson, they have won three of the past seven Norris Trophies and were in the running to win the award on three other occasions. The Sharks now arguably possess the best defensive roster in the league. Before the trade they had the strong duo in Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Now by adding Karlsson they have solidified an already impressive defensive roster.
These two players aren’t just defensive threats. In the past seven years, Brent Burns has been the second highest scoring defender in the league. The highest scoring defender? You guessed it. Brent burns’ new teammate Erik Karlsson has been the highest scoring defender in the past seven years.
The Sharks boast offensive and defensive talent that puts them in the conversation with the league’s best. By acquiring players like forward Evander Kane during the 2018 season, and now Karlsson during the offseason the sharks put the rest of the NHL on notice.
The Sharks have consistently made the playoffs by making appearances in nine out of the past ten years. In 2016, the Sharks lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2017, they fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. Their 2018 campaign ended in the second round when they were defeated by the NHL’s new franchise, The Vegas Golden Knights. The San Jose Sharks are one of twelve teams to have never won a Stanley Cup. By making this trade they look to cross their names off that list and put it on the list of Champions.
What do you think? Can Burns and Karlsson play together? What team has the best defensive duo? Do you think this is the Sharks year? Leave a comment below!
simplysports.game.blog 
Wow this is so impressive. I didn’t realize that the Sharks had such a powerful defensive lineup! I also enjoyed your wordplay saying that the “Sharks are hungry.” What an intense image! Perfectly capturing the integrity of these two players and how intimidating they are to competition.
LikeLike
I think the Kings have the best defense, which is led by Drew Doughty. They also only gave up 2.51 GA/G last year, good enough for second in the league. I also don’t really follow hockey, so I googled “best defense in the NHL” and they were one of the teams that popped up. Great post tho!
LikeLike