Erik Karlsson's big injury update will get Penguins fans hyped
Despite missing the entire preseason with an injury, Erik Karlsson looks like he'll have the green light when the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the New York Rangers to PPG Paints Arena to begin their 2024-25 campaign next week.
"I feel pretty good. Good enough," Karlsson told reporters on Saturday , including NHL.com's Wes Crosby. "The season opener has always been the goal. It's looking like that's going to happen. It's going to be nice to get a few practices in with the regular group and get things going there."
Karlsson has been day-to-day with an upper-body injury since training camp opened back on September 18. His comments are obviously huge for the Pens, as there was no guarantee that the veteran rearguard would be ready for the regular-season after dealing with the ailment over the last couple of weeks.
"Unfortunate situation, but making the best out of the situation," the 34-year-old continued. "Not too worried about it."
If the Swede does indeed play on Wednesday, it'll be the first contest of his 16th National Hockey League season. He took contact for the first time on Saturday, per Crosby, after skating with a non-contact sweater over the last couple of practices.
After being held off the ice for the first three days of training camp, Karlsson began to skate by himself on September 21 before joining the full team shortly after.
He says the injury is a result of working a little bit too hard at the end of the summer.
Penguins' Erik Karlsson reveals cause of his injury
"Just working out, wear and tear," Karlsson told reporters. "Had a really good summer. Feeling a little bit too young and probably overdid it a little bit. And this time of the year, being a little bit extra cautious was, I think, part of it. But I think from the start, it was nothing we were too worried about.
"That's why we didn't make it a big deal. I just needed some time off to let a few things settle down and, once they did, I was pretty much good to go. The goal was always to play the first game of the season. It's looking like we're going to accomplish that with ease."
Karlsson is certainly not as young as he once was, but the star defenseman is still the offensive dynamo on Pittsburgh's blue line, and his presence is critical.
In 2023-24, he led the back end with 11 goals and 56 points in 82 games. It was a far cry from his 101-point season with the San Jose Sharks the year before, which won him the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.
He figures to begin the new season on a pairing with Marcus Pettersson, where he spent a lot of time last year.
"It's awesome to see," Pettersson said of his D-partner returning to health. "You can tell how good of a player he is. It doesn't matter if he's missed a few weeks with an injury. He's dialed in right away. So for sure, it brings an uplifting spirit to the whole team."
Karlsson will also resume his spot on the top powerplay unit along with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust and Kris Letang, as head coach Mike Sullivan said he will start the season with two defensemen on the powerplay.
Karlsson and the Penguins will begin their quest to return to the postseason Wednesday night after back-to-back misses.
