Star Defenseman Karlsson Has Been A Major Disappointment For Struggling Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins star defenseman Erik Karlsson is in his second year with the Pens – and after an initial season that saw him post 45 assists and 56 points in 82 games, Karlsson has 10 assists and 12 points in 16 games this year.

For most blueliners, those numbers would be terrific, but Karlsson feels like a major disappointment in Pittsburgh for a couple of reasons.

The first reason is rather obvious – it’s the money Karlsson is making. Since he was acquired from San Jose in the summer of 2023, Karlsson has carried a cap hit of approximately $10 million (financial data via Puck Pedia) in Pittsburgh (and $11.5 million if you include the $1.5-million San Jose retained in the trade). Karlsson’s salary has him tied with Toronto’s William Nylander as the NHL’s sixth-highest-paid player, and teams are expecting an average of one point per game – at the very least – from star players making that much money. However, Karlsson isn’t delivering even that much offense, let alone the type of offense a true top-of-the-line defenseman (Colorado's Cale Makar, for instance) should be producing.

It would be one thing if Karlsson was earning half of what he’s currently making and putting up the offense he's currently putting up. A $5.5-million D-man would be considered to be doing well with that kind of contribution on offense, but when you’re the highest-paid D-man on the planet, you have to bring more to the table than what the 34-year-old Karlsson is currently bringing.

Meanwhile, Karlsson also has to own his part of the Penguins’ brutal defensive efforts. The Pens currently have the league’s third-worst defense – allowing a whopping 3.69 goals-against per game – and given that Karlsson is the second-most-utilized Pittsburgh player at an average of 22:21 per game, he is partially responsible for the Penguins’ struggles in their own zone.

With offense-minded veteran defenseman Kris Letang already on board, the Penguins had no urgent need to acquire a player like Karlsson last year. He was the shiny new toy on the market, and Pens GM Kyle Dubas used much of his salary cap space to land Karlsson. But it’s fair to ask, what could Dubas have used that cap space for instead of spending it on Karlsson? An experienced goalie to be insurance for starter Tristan Jarry? One or two D-men making $5-or-$6-million per year? Better forwards to provide depth and secondary scoring behind aging icons Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?

The answer is “yes” to all those types of assets. Pittsburgh could have been a deeper, more talented squad if they used that $10 million in cap space on someone (or many players) other than Karlsson. Now, this isn’t to convince you that Karlsson is the root cause of all the Pens' problems – but it is fair to say Karlsson has been a significant disappointment for the Penguins.

Karlsson has two more seasons left on his contract after the 2024-25 campaign, and we all know Father Time has a distinct way of corroding a player’s effectiveness as they hit their mid-thirties. Karlsson’s days producing 76 assists and 101 points are almost assuredly over, and his gigantic salary only underscores how far he’s fallen since arriving in Pittsburgh.

There is still 80 percent of the current regular season to be played, so there's time for Karlsson to get back to the level he was at with the Sharks two years ago. But we have our doubts that will happen – and just as likely is the possibility he will continue on a downward spiral. Karlsson hasn’t got to Larry-Murphy-In-Toronto levels of hometown hatred, but if Pittsburgh continues to struggle in the standings, Pens fans are going to want someone to oust and blame, and it could be Karlsson.

The bottom line here: Karlsson is being paid like a superstar – paid more than Crosby and Malkin, and everyone else on Pittsburgh’s roster – and he’s not holding up his end of the financial bargain. There’s no question Karlsson has been a huge disappointment in Steeltown, and if he doesn’t want to be a scapegoat for the Penguins’ ongoing problems, he needs to figure out how to change things for the better – and figure it out soon.

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