Could a reunion between Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators be in the cards?
Maybe, according to a new report from the Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan.
Citing a well connected source, Brennan reports Karlsson “hopes to receive competitive offers” from the Senators and Montreal Canadiens.
The source adds that Karlsson’s wife, who is from the Ottawa area, is homesick and would like to move back to the region. The source also adds that “as far as he knows,” the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, two other teams close to Ottawa, are not on Karlsson’s list.
A reunion between Karlsson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and the Senators seemed out of the question after the way the two split last fall. The Senators traded the two-time Norris trophy winner to the San Jose Sharks in September after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a long-term contract extension.
One day after the trade to the Sharks happened, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported “there was always a sense that (Karlsson) preferred to stay, but lack of confidence in ownership made it impossible.”
On Saturday, Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada that Karlsson will decide in the next week whether he is going to stay in San Jose.
“He wants to win, the Sharks are perennially in it [and] they’ve made a good impression on him,” Friedman said.
Karlsson battled injuries in his first season with the Sharks and only appeared in 53 regular season games. Despite that, the 29-year-old still picked up 45 points and he added another 16 points in 19 playoff games.
The Senators selected Karlsson with the 15th pick in the 2008 NHL Draft and he played nine seasons in Ottawa, including four as team captain.
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