Ottawa Senators: Why Erik Karlsson Needs To Be Traded

Erik Karlsson is the best player to ever wear an Ottawa Senators sweater. He’s the most dynamic player in their history the face of the franchise, but he may have to be traded, and here’s why.

Erik Karlsson’s current contract expires at the end of the 2018-2019 season. That means the Sens have two do one of two things before them, re-sign him or trade him. They can’t let him go for nothing because that would be the death of the franchise. It would a colossal loss that the team would take years to come back from. While signing him would be ideal trading him may be the only option at this point for the Ottawa Senators.

The Risk Of Losing Him For Nothing

Signing Karlsson will always be the ideal choice for the Sens as getting equal value for a player like that is near impossible. However, in recent days it’s come out that Karlsson may have soured on the whole situation and wants to be traded. If that’s the case, then the Sens absolutely need to trade him. If he is fed up with the situation that Melnyk has put him in then the Sens need to trade him or they risk losing him for nothing.

Whether it’s today or in the summer, the Ottawa Senators may have to trade Erik Karlsson. It would be devastating and could set the team back years, but it may need to happen. The haul that he would bring in could speed the rebuild up exponentially and losing him for nothing simply isn’t an option.

Next: Ottawa Senators: Derick Brassard Traded To Pittsburgh Penguins

Ideally Erik Karlsson will be a member of the Ottawa Senators for life, but if he can’t be it’s time to pull of the band aid.