MONTREAL — Erik Karlsson is going to be hard to keep in San Jose, adding to the pressure that the Sharks are under this season to finally bring the Stanley Cup to Silicon Valley.
When Doug Wilson brought Karlsson to San Jose on the eve of training camp, conventional wisdom suggested it would give the Sharks the inside lane in the race to sign the two-time Norris Trophy winner this offseason. NHL players that move to California tend to want to stay in California. But Karlsson isn’t a conventional player, so conventional wisdom doesn’t necessarily apply here.
After John Tavares chose Toronto over San Jose last summer despite what he called an “impressive” pitch from management, Wilson made an aggressive play to court the next difference-maker on his wishlist.