Blame Canada. More specifically, blame shameless Canadian hockey media.
That was Erik Karlsson’s approach when asked by a reporter on Thursday morning about rumours connecting him to his old team in Ottawa via trade.
“That’s Canada for you,” the first-year Pittsburgh Penguin said in a fairly lighthearted manner. “I played there for a long time, so I kind of know how that game works. They’ve got a lot of things to talk about every day because they’ve got a lot of air time (to fill), but very few things to actually discuss.”
The Penguins have certainly been a hot topic in all hockey media of late due to the fact the club is headed toward a second-straight season outside the playoffs. Acquiring Karlsson last summer from the San Jose Sharks was an attempt to reload as the Penguins’ older core, led by Sidney Crosby, tried to rebound from last year’s disappointment.
Instead, Pittsburgh and first-year GM Kyle Dubas were sellers at last week’s trade deadline, shipping sniper Jake Guentzel to Carolina. That’s brought on all kinds of speculation in terms of what’s next for the franchise, including the notion Karlsson — who spent nine seasons in Ottawa — might be interested in returning to the team that drafted him if things are going south in Pennsylvania. After all, the Sens are struggling, too, and could be looking to shake things up.
According to the Swede, there’s no substance to chatter.
“They like to make up these what-if scenarios and that’s just the way it is,” Karlsson said. “It’s not something I really look into or worry too much about.”
Apparently, Sens fans don’t need to go racing to the closet for those No. 65 sweaters just yet.