Karlsson is the worst best defenseman ever. I hate that player so much - he skates like a dream but he is an absolute team killer on D. He's like extreme Severson.
I'm a closet fan of the Sharks having lived in San Jose for 10 years, but he singlehandedly brought that franchise down.
It's classic. Great play on Bratt. Scores the game tying goal against. (You NEVER try to play that puck if you're a defenseman.)
I agree he brought the franchise down, but not for the same reasons. I don't think it was his fault as a player.
They were old and near the end and probably shouldn't have re-signed him. They probably shouldn't have traded for him, but I get going all in one last time in 18-19, which was the year they got him.
But the team was headed for a crash like we were after 2012. Thornton was about to turn 40, Burns was approaching 35 and they already had a BUNCH of BAD contracts in Jones and Vlasic, who were already BAD players on BAD long term contracts by then. Karlsson isn't nearly as bad as them, but it was really time to bottom out.
And they even signed Kane long term.
And Hertl should have peaced out, but now he's signed until he's 36 on a team that's probably not gonna be all that good even by that time. If it took us 7 years to really start showing some signs, it should take them about 7 years, maybe give or take one.
They made the playoffs in the first year they had Karlsson, which was the season before his extension kicked in. They made the playoffs and the conference finals, despite Jones being TERRIBLE that year in both the regular season and playoffs. The wheels officially came off EARLY the next season. DeBoer was fired, Thornton was 40 years old, Burns was getting up there, Vlasic was already several years into a decline at that point and he's still signed through 2025. Couture is signed for 4 more years after this until he's like 37. Still a good player, but he turns 34 this year.
Doug Wilson just started signing everyone to really stupid contracts, all these loyalty contracts. A couple of them are already bought out in Jones and Kane. Karlsson was another because he had to save face on making that big trade for him.