Karlsson Talks Plattner, Sharks’ Turnaround (+)

PITTSBURGH — Erik Karlsson took the high road.

On opening night, Hasso Plattner spoke for the first time to local media in a decade.

The San Jose Sharks owner was surprisingly frank when speaking about Karlsson, who GM Doug Wilson acquired to much fanfare, in the summer of 2018.

There’s no need to re-litigate the highs and lows of Karlsson’s tenure with the Sharks — we’ve done that plenty at San Jose Hockey Now — but Plattner was pointed in his comments about Karlsson.

“First, one [star] is not enough. Second, you know his qualities and you know his deficiencies, he was not the most, how do I say it, team-friendly player,” Plattner said about Karlsson. “He was good, but he was probably very good in a very good team.”

In a one-on-one interview with SJHN in Dallas last week, Karlsson offered no comment, stressing that he still has a good relationship with his former owner.