New York Rangers: Should Erik Karlsson’s health be a concern?

Cause for concern

There is one rather alarming caveat at play here, and a hefty one at that. And that is the fact that you can’t bank on Karlsson staying healthy.

Granted, he has proved that he can play hurt as perfectly demonstrated during that deep playoff run with the Ottawa Senators in 2016-17 when he threw the franchise on his back and carried them all the way to the Eastern Conference Final on just one leg with 18 points (2 goals, 16 assists) in 19 games.

However, if you look at a more recent sample size then that is where the alarm bells start to ring for any potential bidder.

Karlsson, who has been plagued by a string of various injuries and impediments in recent seasons, got his San Jose tenure off to a slow start before finally breaking out from his slump in explosive fashion in November.

It was no coincidence that when Karlsson was on his game so were the Sharks, but two groin injuries ravaged momentum for both player and team and the silky Swede with the infectious grin and well-groomed moustache would miss 27 of the final 33 games down the stretch.

He was peak Karlsson in the postseason, however, in terms of points production with two goals and 14 assists, but the brilliance we’ve come to expect from one of the game’s best only came in fleeting moments and stops and starts.

In truth, it was obvious to the naked eye that Karlsson was walking wounded throughout the postseason and he finally succumbed to his ailments, missing the decisive Game 6 against the Blues on Tuesday.

The injuries have piled up for Karlsson in recent years and you are left to wonder what long-term damage all of that wear and tear has done to his body. That will also be the big question on the lips of many an NHL General Manager this summer.

It isn’t an easy one to answer either given that, at times, Karlsson was at his very peak in the playoffs for the Sharks, coming up clutch in the big moments just as he has made a habit of doing throughout his career.

But the image of the majestic Swede almost skating on one leg has also become too familiar of an image, and the worry will be that all of those blows to the body has slowed down a player who should now be hitting his prime years.

Numbers do of course contradict that fear given that Karlsson ranked second in Corsi For per 60 minutes among the 209 defensemen who logged 1,000 or more minutes at 5-on-5 in 2018-19, in addition to excelling in a number of other statistical categories.

There is no doubt that Karlsson’s most recent spate of injuries have had a notable impact, and this offseason will be huge in determining whether lengthy rest and recovery is simply the answer or if years playing at an elite level has finally caught up to a body that isn’t built for sustained punishment.

If recent reports turn out to be true and the New York Rangers are frontrunners when it comes to being the next destination for Erik Karlsson, then feel free to lose yourself in joyous euphoria, but also be sure to tread on the side of caution when it comes to this superstar’s recent list of lengthy health concerns.

This franchise would be gaining a player capable of leading this rebuild and young, talented roster to the promised land, but the injuries have now become a worrisome narrative that needs to be taken into account.