Ottawa Senators fans still want EK65 to come 'home', and back in 2022 he almost did

In 627 games with the Ottawa Senators, Erik Karlsson scored 128 goals, had 392 assists and amassed 518 points. Photo by Julie Oliver /Postmedia

Article content

Fans of the Ottawa Senators would love to turn back the clock to the days of EK65.

Article content

As the Senators bid farewell to captain Brady Tkachuk by sending him to the Florida Panthers in exchange for three first-round picks and a second-round selection, the Ottawa faithful were pining for a reunion tour with longtime former captain Erik Karlsson.

Article content

Article content

While the Pittsburgh Penguins have no desire to trade the 36-year-old Karlsson after he played a key role in the club’s trip back to the National Hockey League playoffs last spring, the mere mention of his name has his fans here wanting him to come “home”.

Article content

Article content

Your humble hockey columnist was in the mood to tell a story during the “Sens 1-on-1” video taped with reporter Callum Fraser for the Ottawa Citizen on Monday after the deal that sent Tkachuk packing.

Article content

Article content

I recalled that, during the 2022-23 campaign, the Senators had serious discussions about bringing back Karlsson, who spent nine years with the club after being drafted No. 15 overall in the 2008 NHL draft held at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Article content

Karlsson was dealt to the Sharks in September 2018 in one of the best trades this organization has ever made. In 627 games with the Senators, he finished with 128 goals, 392 assists and amassed 518 points. He remains the highest-scoring blueliner in franchise history.

Article content

Erik Karlsson speaks to the media at the Canadian Tire Centre after he was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the San Jose Sharks in September 2018. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia

Article content

The Sharks had just hired general manager Mike Grier in 2022 and had decided to undergo a complete rebuild, which is why the organization was toying with the idea of moving Karlsson.

Article content

Former Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion, the architect of the Karlsson trade that brought back Josh Norris and ultimately allowed the Senators to select top centre Tim Stutzle at No. 3 overall in 2020, wondered if bringing Karlsson back would make sense for the organization.

Article content

Article content

The Senators went a long way down the road with Grier and the Sharks to see what a deal would look like. It would have been incumbent on San Jose to pick up at least part of the $11.5 million U.S. cap hit remaining on Karlsson’s contract to make the trade a reality, but every aspect was discussed.

Article content

Article content

The club had discussions internally and decided that coach D.J. Smith would take the temperature in the dressing room to see how the acquisition of Karlsson would go over.

Article content

Tkachuk, at the time, was fresh off signing a seven-year deal in October 2021 and was in the second season of wearing the captain’s C he’d been awarded by Dorion, Smith and late owner Eugene Melnyk.

Article content

Erik Karlsson played a key role as the Pittsburgh Penguins made it back to the National Hockey League playoffs last spring. Photo by Justin Berl /Getty Images

Article content

Karlsson is a powerful force in the dressing room. He’s a big personality and would have naturally taken on a leadership role because that’s the weight Karlsson carries, no matter where he is.

Article content

The Senators felt, at the time, that bringing in Karlsson would undermine Tkachuk’s leadership. He was still trying to establish himself as a captain in the league, a big part of which is earning the trust and confidence of your teammates, because you go into battle with them every night.