TSN: Marc Methot on his tweet about the possibility of the Ottawa Senators reacquiring defenseman Erik Karlsson.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Aaron Korolnek: “I imagine there were some people, Marc, who are cringing at your tweet earlier today about Erik Karlsson.”
Methot: “Which one?”
Korolnek: “I guess there is a long list, the Erik Karlsson coming home tweet. Can you take us through that and your rationale? You want to see Erik Karlsson back with the Sens?”
Marc Methot: “Look, yeah, I mean, it’s wishful thinking obviously. And I think we’re at a point now where everyone’s just desperate for winner in Ottawa and it’s been a very frustrating season.
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I think with, and I mean, I’ve been, I’m still having people tag me. There are still Toronto fans tagging me in the post that I made three years ago about how Ottawa would be a better team. And I think the anniversary of that day was like two days ago. So I’ve had a nonstop flood of Toronto fans just assaulting me in my mentioned about that tweet. So it’s been very, very eventful.
But, but, so beyond that with the Erik Karlsson thing, I think I’m just trying to throw a bone to our fanbase here. But, but there is a little bit or like, there is a bit of reason behind it as well.
Obviously, not ideal. Little bit of an older player, huge cap hit. I understand all of that stuff. I’m thinking potentially here and we’re, this has been floating around a little bit around Ottawa as far as maybe moving one of the core pieces. And when I say core pieces, you know, there’s Jake Sanderson Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, and a bunch of the forwards, we have options.
And so, I mean, this guy just wanted Norris trophy. I wouldn’t say he’s over the hill. I would argue that he’s very comparable to Thomas Chabot, but probably brings, brings infinitely more offense.
Now. I’m sure Noodles, Frankie, they’re probably shaking their heads. And I’m kind of shaking my head a little bit when I’m trying to make sense of this potential move. But you’re gonna bring in a highly motivated player. He still has his house here, his extended families here, rather his in-laws all live here.
So I don’t know. I mean for a franchise that struggled to bring in genuine, rather legitimate free agents that are motivated to play in this market. You know, when you can bring in a perennial All-Star like Karlsson, again, wishful thinking, I don’t know why you would scoff at that. At least entertain the idea.”
Jamie McLennan: “Well, Frankie, I know you’re gonna, you got a question here, but just give me one second to retort to this.”
Frank Corado: “No, no, got for it. I got something on this too. I got something.”
McLennan: “I just, I listen, I don’t think it’ll work. I don’t think it’ll happen. I don’t think whatever.”
Methot: “No.”
McLennan: “But when I saw it, I thought to myself and not just because it covered the Sens. I’m like, if Kyle (Dubas) gets the green light to blow things up, you could have, you could see that in Pittsburgh, he could be a guy that they would want to move. And keep in mind that contract will be turned over a couple of times. So you will, you’d be paying pennies on the dollar for Karlsson. He wouldn’t be a $12 million or $11.5 million dollar defenseman financially.
And there is a fit because Meth(to) you know and Frankie, you guys know that when you look at Ottawa, the right side is something they are dying for, for stability. Right shot defenseman.”
Methot: “Bingo.”
McLennan: “That’s the problem. Like you’re circling the right. They’ve got a ton of left shots. What do you got? (Jake) Sanderson, Chabot, (Jakob) Chychrun, (Erik) Brannstrom, the kid (Tyler) Kleven coming up. They’re all left shots. The right-side, (Travis) Hamonic will be off the books. So now you’re gonna have Jacob Bernard-Docker and Artem Zub. And pretty much so yes, they do need a right-shot defenseman. That’s why they were bandied about or at least in on a guy like Chris Tanev and guys like that at the deadline because you’re thinking okay, right shot, good leader, that type of stuff.
So in a wishful thinking, I can agree with you Meth. I really, I was like, Okay, maybe they can make that work. Again, easier said than done. I don’t even know if they would covet that. So go ahead Frankie, I’m sorry.”
Corado: “Like my initial thought was, would be to disagree with Meth. Like just my feelings around, I feel like once that, that book closed on Karlsson and Ottawa, I feel like it was going to stay closed.
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But you played with the guy. Like you were his D partner. So I feel like you know, a lot of people have opinions on things but when you have such a close personal connection to him and you, you’ve been around him so long, there’s a lot of validity to what you say about it. So like who am I to you know, to think that my opinion is right on that when you know him so well.”