Erik Karlsson made his NHL debut on Oct. 3. 2009, with the Ottawa Senators in a matchup against the New York Rangers. After nine years in Canada’s capital city, he got dealt to the San Jose Sharks, where he spent the past five seasons patrolling the blue line in the Bay Area.
So far, in 15 seasons, Karlsson has proved to be one of the game’s most gifted offensive defensemen in history, recently winning his third Norris Trophy with 101 points. Despite a career minus-103 rating, he can quickly rush the puck up the ice and be one of the first players back in his zone, thanks to a smooth stride.
Related: Grading Pittsburgh Penguins’ Blockbuster Trade for Erik Karlsson
Interestingly, his leadership capabilities are one of the least talked about aspects of Karlsson’s career and legacy. Within four seasons of debuting, he’s worn an “A” or a “C” on his sweater in nine of the last ten seasons. Now that you’ve had a glimpse into his achievements let’s dig a little deeper to learn more about the newest member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
7. Karlsson Has Scored a Point Against 18 Swedish Netminders
According to statistics from NHL.com, only 37 Swedish-born netminders have played a game in the league. Thus far, Karlsson has points against 18 or 48.6% of his fellow countrymen who have played in North America.
Statistically, Karlsson has goals against nine different goalies, with Jhonas Enroth surrendering the most tallies with four. Regarding overall points, he collected 13 points (two goals and 11 assists) against Henrik Lundqvist and has eight points (all helpers) against Jacob Markstrom.
6. He Is the Sixth Defenseman in NHL History to Score 100 Points in a Season
The first defenseman in NHL history to register 100 points in the regular season was Bobby Orr in 1969-70 with 120 points. As one of the greatest skaters of all time, Orr accomplished the feat six times before Denis Potvin became the second player to reach the plateau in 1978-79. After that, Paul Coffey became the third in 1983-84, followed by Al MacInnis in 1990-91, and Brian Leetch in 1991-92.
Since Leetch’s historic season over 30 years ago, Karlsson became the latest defenseman to score triple digits by tallying 101 points with the Sharks in 2022-23. Furthermore, he becomes only the sixth defender to achieve this feat. Interestingly, all six players have won the Norris Trophy at least once.
5. Only 3-Time Norris Trophy Winner Without a Stanley Cup Ring
After securing his third Norris Trophy win in 2022-23, Karlsson joined a small group of players, including Chris Chelios, Pierre Pilote, Coffey, and Potvin, as the only players to win the award that many times. Collectively, these five skaters only trail Ray Bourque (five), Nicklas Lidström (seven), Doug Harvey (seven), and Orr (eight) for most wins.
Unfortunately, out of all the players who have won the Norris Trophy three or more times, Karlsson is the only skater on the list still searching for his first Stanley Cup championship. Ultimately, the closest he got to playing in the Stanley Cup Final was losing in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final with the Senators. Moreover, he suffered the same fate in 2019, losing in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final with the Sharks.
4. Karlsson Was the 14th Swedish Captain in NHL History
The first Swedish-born captain in the NHL was Lars-Erik Sjöberg when he led the Winnipeg Jets during their first season in the NHL in 1979-80. Since then, 15 players from the Nordic country have served as captains of NHL franchises, with Karlsson becoming the 14th.
After Daniel Alfredsson (Gothenburg, Sweden) became captain of the Senators in 1999, he would remain in the role for 13 seasons, the longest tenure of any Swedish-born leader. Then Canadian Jason Spezza would take over from Alfredsson for one season before Karlsson ascended to the role in 2014-15.
Related: Notable NHL Captains Who Got Traded
During his stint as captain of the Senators, Karlsson scored 281 points in 312 games and won the Norris Trophy in that first season. Additionally, he attended three All-Star Games while earning three postseason All-Star selections. Ultimately, his tenure ended on Sept. 13, 2018, when the Senators traded him to the Sharks.
3. He Is the Only NHL Player From Landsbro, Sweden
According to statistics from Hockey-Reference.com, there have been 394 NHL players from Sweden. Of course, as the country’s largest city and capital, Stockholm has boasted the most players at 64 skaters. However, Karlsson’s hometown is the tiny town of Landsbro, with an estimated population of 1,510 (2020).
As of 2023, he remains the only player from Landsbro, located about four and a half hours southwest of Stockholm, roughly three hours northeast of Malmö in the middle of the country. Barring any injuries, Karlsson, with 920 games, could become the 17th skater from the country to play in 1,000 games.
Additionally, he’s only 57 points away from passing Börje Salming and Thomas Steen for sole possession of tenth place all-time in Sweden scoring. Realistically, with four seasons left on his current deal with the Penguins, Karlsson needs 239 points to become the seventh player in the country’s history to surpass 1,000 points.
2. One of Two NHL Defenseman to Lead the Team in Scoring 4 Consecutive Seasons
When discussing achievements from the game’s most decorated defensemen of all time, players like Orr, Bourque, Coffey, and MacInnis never led their respective teams in scoring for four consecutive seasons. Ultimately, only two players have accomplished the feat, Potvin with the New York Islanders from 1973 to 1977 and Karlsson with the Senators from 2014 to 2017.
During Potvin’s run, which included winning the Calder and Norris Trophies, he scored 308 points in 314 games with 94 goals and 214 assists. Meanwhile, Karlsson netted 293 points in 323 games thanks to 74 goals and 219 assists, winning his first Norris Trophy in 2014-15.
1. Karlsson and His Wife Are Co-creators of Can’t Dim My Light Charity
Ultimately, there is no need to revisit the personal trauma surrounding Karlsson and his wife, Melinda Currey, during the tail end of his career with the Senators. However, out of one of the most hurtful experiences someone can experience, a very positive thing came from an intense legal problem.
After the events of early 2018, Karlsson and his wife created Can’t Dim My Light, a charity in the Ottawa area that raises awareness for bullying in school. Although no new social media posts or information about the charity is available after 2019, primarily due to the global pandemic, Karlsson raised over $40,000 during the charity’s first year.
Now that Karlsson is skating in his third city and life has returned to normal, he can reestablish his charity. Even if he doesn’t launch another fundraiser for Can’t Dim My Light, there will be chances for him to get involved in the Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux Foundation.
Further Perspective
As the 11th-highest scorer in the NHL in 2022-23 while on the third-worst team, Karlsson requested an opportunity to contend for a Stanley Cup instead of being part of a rebuild. Although it took over half a year to find a trade partner, the Sharks honored his request and sent him to the Penguins.
Related: Erik Karlsson and the 2017 Playoffs: A Performance for the Ages
Ultimately, Pittsburgh is retooling after watching their lengthy 16-year playoff streak end in 2022-23. Even if he fails to hoist the silver chalice, he’s already made a solid case to earn a Hockey Hall of Fame plaque upon retirement.
