The Pittsburgh Penguins had a horrid start to the 2024-25 NHL season. And it caused some frustrations within the organization. At one point, the Penguins were frustrated with star defenseman Erik Karlsson, as well. However, things have since turned around. So much so that the Penguins are competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Pittsburgh is 17-17-8 at this time, good for 42 points. Pittsburgh is tied on points with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Wild Card spot, though the Blue Jackets have the tiebreaker. It seemed like a long shot earlier in the year, but at this time, Pittsburgh is in the thick of the playoff race.
This is an interesting time for Karlsson. The veteran defenseman has two years left after this year on his contract. Moreover, he is in the back end of his career. He is 34 years old and has not won a Stanley Cup. The Penguins defenseman acknowledged a trade away from Pittsburgh was possible. But at this time, it’s not what he’s focusing on.
“I think that’s a question that’s up in the air,” he said, via NHL.com. “There’s some controllables in there and some that aren’t, so I don’t really know where that’s at right now. Right now, I’m just focused on trying to get in the playoffs for this year because I know if we have that opportunity, I think this team is well equipped to do more than we probably could in an 82-game season.”
Erik Karlsson feels the urge to win a Stanley Cup
Erik Karlsson is acutely aware of the players surrounding him in Pittsburgh. The Penguins have a core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. All of these players are star-level players, much like Karlsson. And yet, there is one key difference between those three and Karlsson.
“I have zero (Stanley Cups),” the 34-year-old said Wednesday, via NHL.com. “Some guys have three.”
Crosby, Malkin, and Letang have won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins. Pittsburgh defeated the Detroit Red Wings in 2009 for their first Cup. Then, they became the first team since the 1997-98 Red Wings to win back-to-back Cups. They defeated the San Jose Sharks in 2016 before dispatching the Nashville Predators in 2017.
Since then, the Penguins have not come close to the Stanley Cup. Karlsson has, making the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with the San Jose Sharks. However, that was a losing effort to the St. Louis Blues. He eventually watched from home as the Blues went on to defeat the Boston Bruins in that year’s Stanley Cup Final.
Karlsson and the Penguins both want to win a Stanley Cup sooner rather than later. They want to send their aging stars off with one final triumph. Only time will tell if Karlsson can win that elusive Cup in Pittsburgh before he calls it a career.
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