Erik Karlsson trade shows Doug Wilson is all in for Sharks to win now

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The last time the San Jose Sharks made a deal as big as their acquisition of Erik Karlsson, general manager Doug Wilson took advantage of the Boston Bruins’ front office instability and its inability to understand the true value of Joe Thornton.
 
So when Wilson poached Ottawa for its generational defenseman Thursday, he did so knowing that the Senators are tearing down an already problematic team and starting at slightly lower than over.
 
In other words, Wilson saw a weakness and worked it because time’s a-wastin’ for the Sharks in their present configuration. The cost of center Chris Tierney, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, a 2019 second-round draft pick, a 2020 first-round pick, a conditional selection, and prospects Josh Norris and Rudolfs Balcers is considerable, but it's not equivalent to the Karlsson of today. In addition, the Sharks kept Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl, their two best young forwards, so the cost is endurable if you don't notice that the team already traded its 2019 first-rounder to get Evander Kane. San Jose also received prospect Francis Perron from Ottawa in the deal.
 
Karlsson has been the game’s best defenseman, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, a dynamic two-way player and in all ways a conference-changing acquisition, which is why the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars reportedly also were hot and heavy in the chase for him.
 
But the appeal for the Sharks above and beyond already having Brett Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic is that their roster is still heavy with older impact players, and the urge to go for all of it now rather than later is urgent. Hence, Karlsson’s appeal and Wilson’s zeal.
 
The Sharks reportedly wanted Karlsson at the in-season trade deadline before Senators owner Eugene Melnyk -- who, politely speaking, is a hot mess as owners go -- got “involved.” But the impulse to hold his star defenseman faded for Melnyk, especially after the issue involving Karlsson’s wife, Melinda, claiming that former teammate Mike Hoffman’s fiancée, Monika, had been cyber-bullying her. Last year, Hoffman was traded to the Sharks, who immediately flipped him to the Panthers, so the Senators also got draft choice protection if Karlsson is moved back east in the coming season. Which, we can assume, is not the plan this time.
 
The Sharks had to clear $2 million in salary cap space to make the deal work, but they also would have to find a way to stretch $22 million in 2019 space for him, team captain Joe Pavelski and six restricted free agents, including young pillars Meier and Kevin Labanc.
 
But when a team -- especially one that has reached the Stanley Cup Final oly once and needs to go at it again or hold its peace for several years -- decides it's all-in now, next year’s cap issue is a million miles away, and in either event, there always are alternative solutions.
 
For you football fans out there, think the Los Angeles Rams, who are equally all-in now and less concerned with a potential cap disaster when quarterback Jared Goff comes off his rookie contract.
 
The other issue is Karlsson’s health, which had been problematic even during the Sens’ playoff run two years ago when he played with hairline fractures in his left heel and subsequent ankle problems. He is back to full strength by all accounts, and at 29 is younger and likely more influential than either Brett Burns at 33 or Vlasic at 32.
 
In sum, Doug Wilson wants it all now and gave up a fair chunk of tomorrow for that now, and the Sharks suddenly are hyper-relevant in a conference that is only getting more aggressive -- NBA-level aggressive -- about talent accumulation. San Jose always was well regarded as a contender, but now the Sharks might find themselves the favorite for the one prize they've never attained.

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