Could a reunion between Senators, Erik Karlsson make sense?

It’s now been seven years since Erik Karlsson was dealt from the Ottawa Senators, and it feels like he hasn’t been the same since he left. Yes, he did have his best offensive season when he had 101 points with the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23 to capture his third Norris Trophy, but he hasn’t been the consistent top-five defenseman since he was with the Senators, who had to move on from him as they began their rebuild.

But now that the Senators are on the rise, and in need of a veteran, puck-moving defenseman on the back end, could a reunion make sense for the two? He may be the best option on the market for Ottawa, and perhaps that sense of familiarity may rejuvenate the 35-year-old for just a little bit longer.

Tyler Yaremchuk and Matt Larkin talked about if Karlsson returning to the Senators makes sense on Daily Faceoff Live.

Tyler Yaremchuk: A lot of people always go, “Oh, the Carolina Hurricanes would be a fit [for Karlsson].” They have Shayne Gostisbehere to run one power play. I would imagine that Alex Nikishin is going to have some role on the power play.

This is just me throwing out it because it’s a fun story, but what about Ottawa if you could find a way to make it work? Isn’t that a nice homecoming, and on a team that wants to presumably take another step forward? I like that idea.

Matt Larkin: I think that [Ottawa] is another really good fit. They’re playing Nick Jensen up in the lineup with the second pair with Thomas Chabot. But ideally, Jensen could be a luxury third-pair defenseman. You do have a Jordan Spence coming in now on the right side, so you have to figure that out.

But in terms of just mobility and leadership and just a fun story at a reasonable price on retained money, I think Erik Karlsson coming home would make a lot of sense. Especially because, of course, his wife Melinda Curry, they met in Ottawa, so that would be a homecoming for their family too.

So I totally see it, and especially with Ottawa on the rise. You know Erik Karlsson wants a chance to chase a Stanley Cup, it’d be kind of fun. He hasn’t really had a good run at it since he was there in 2017, and maybe this is the fit that he needs.

You can watch the full episode here…