65 Erik Karlsson D

Karlsson (groin) signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension with the Sharks on Monday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.

Karlsson was going to be one of the most highly sought after free agents had he hit the open market July 1, but he evidently has enjoyed his time in San Jose enough to want to commit to the Sharks long term. The fact that it was the only club that could offer him an eight-year deal probably didn't hurt, either. The Swedish defenseman was hampered by injuries for much of the 2018-19 campaign, but he was still able to produce at an elite pace when available, racking up three goals and 45 points in 53 regular-season appearances before adding two goals and 16 points in 19 playoff games. The 29-year-old recently underwent surgery to address the groin injury he was playing through toward the end of the campaign, but he's expected to be back to 100 percent in time for training camp, and should be one of the first blueliners selected in this year's fantasy drafts.

Karlsson (groin) is reportedly closing in on a contract extension with San Jose, per Bob McKenzie of TSN.

Karlsson was hampered by injuries at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs, which limited his productivity. The veteran blueliner will likely command a contract similar to the eight-year, $88 million deal signed by Los Angeles' Drew Doughty in July of 2018. Assuming Karlsson can get back to 100 percent, he should be capable of getting back over the 60-point mark and could even push for 70.

Karlsson underwent successful surgery Friday to address the groin injury he suffered during the 2018-19 campaign.

Karlsson was never fully healthy this season, but he was still a force to be reckoned with while playing at less than 100 percent, racking up three goals and 45 points in 53 regular-season appearances before adding two goals and 16 points in 19 playoff games. The 29-year-old Swede is expected to recover fully and should be ready for the start of the 2019-20 campaign, which will undoubtedly help his case during negotiations as one of this offseason's top unrestricted free agents.

Karlsson isn't sure if his groin injury will require surgery yet, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Karlsson, a pending unrestricted free agent, missed 29 games during the regular season due to injury, and he clearly wasn't playing at 100 percent during the Sharks' playoff run. Nonetheless, the Swedish blueliner was able to rack up two goals and 16 points in 19 games this postseason, exhibiting just how deadly he can be even when hobbled. Karlsson will be one of the most highly sought after free agents this offseason, but his health will undoubtedly play a huge role in teams' willingness to sign him to a long-term deal.

Karlsson (groin) didn't make the trip to St. Louis for Game 6 and will be out of the lineup Tuesday, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.

Karlsson -- who has been hampered by a groin injury throughout the postseason -- still racked up two goals and 14 assists in 19 playoff contests. Replacing a player of the Swede's caliber won't be easy, but Marc-Edouard Vlasic should see an uptick in minutes, including on the power play, while Tim Heed suits up for the first time since April 16 versus Vegas. If his teammates can extend the series to Game 7, Karlsson could be an option after a few days off, though the club likely won't make any decision until closer to puck drop.

Karlsson (undisclosed) did not play in the final period of Sunday's Game 5 loss to the Blues, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Karlsson had been dealing with a groin issue prior to Game 5 so it's possible that his exit from the contest is related to that. The Sharks will be facing elimination in St. Louis on Tuesday and it's unclear whether the 28-year-old will be available or not.

Karlsson (groin) will be in the lineup Sunday when San Jose and St. Louis square off for Game 5, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.com reports.

The soon-to-be free agent defenseman has spent most the year battling groin issues, but Karlsson is expected to play a regular shift Sunday. The former Senators captain has 16 points in 18 games this postseason, including a pair of goals.

Karlsson provided a power-play helper and four shots on goal in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Blues in Game 4.

Karlsson now has two goals and two assists each in the series, but he went 7:31 without playing at one point in the third period. Karlsson missed 27 games over the second half of the regular season with a groin injury, which makes his light usage while the Sharks were trailing a bit concerning. Coach Pete DeBoer did not provide any update on Karlsson's condition after the game.

Karlsson scored the first and last goals in Wednesday's 5-4 overtime win against the Blues in Game 3.

These were Karlsson's first two goals of 2019, as he failed to score in 31 appearances since Dec. 29, having missed 27 other contests due to a groin injury. He now has 15 points in 17 games in the postseason.

Karlsson notched a power-play assist and three shots in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Karlsson has 13 points, all helpers, in 15 games during the playoffs. Five of those assists have come with the man advantage. While a goal mixed in every now and then would be nice, the near-point-per-game pace should be plenty appealing to the Swedish blueliner's fantasy owners.

Karlsson posted a power-play assist and four shots on goal in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Avalanche in Game 5.

Karlsson has only produced two helpers over five games in the second round, raising his postseason total to 11 assists in 12 contests. The Swedish blueliner has averaged over 25 minutes a game in the playoffs, and he's made plenty of impact on the scoresheet despite his minus-4 rating.

Karlsson provided a pair of assists, five shots on goal and four blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win against the Golden Knights in Game 7.

Karlsson finished the series with nine helpers in seven outings, with three of his assists coming with the man advantage. Karlsson's biggest apple was his pass to Barclay Goodrow for the series-clinching goal in overtime Tuesday. The minute-eating defenseman is one of the best fantasy options available to owners in postseason formats.

Karlsson earned two assists and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 5.

Karlsson also had three shots and three hits in the contest. He's snagged seven assists, eight blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in five appearances in the series. The offense is there, but at times it has looked like he's not fully over a groin injury that cost him 17 games near the end of the regular season.

Karlsson was minus-3 against the Golden Knights in Sunday's loss and very much looked like a player still trying to recover from an injury, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

Karlsson missed 17 games with a groin injury at the end of the regular season, only playing in the season finale. He looked pretty slow Sunday, especially against the Golden Knights' second line, which is flying right now.

Karlsson registered two assists, two blocked shots, and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 Game 1 win over the Golden Knights.

Karlsson played in the regular season finale after losing 17 games to a groin injury. Getting Karlsson back is sure to help the Sharks on the ice, and that in turn makes him a player to consider for postseason fantasy contests. He skated 26:25 Wednesday, indicating that he is at or near full health to begin the playoff run.

Karlsson (groin) will take part in Saturday's regular-season finale against the Avalanche, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

Karlsson last played Feb. 26 against the Bruins, so he will get a useful warmup game under his belt before the Sharks embark on their playoff run. The star blueliner could help shift some season-long fantasy standings with a big effort to close out the campaign and should be seriously considered for daily lineups as well.

Karlsson (groin) will not dress for Thursday's game against the Oilers, Derek Van Diest of NHL.com reports.

While Karlsson was a full participant at practice Wednesday, there's a good chance he's just trying to get up to speed for the start of the playoffs. He has one opportunity to get back into action before the postseason Saturday against the Avalanche. If not, there's a good chance he will be ready for Game 1 next week.

Karlsson (groin) was a full participant at practice Wednesday, Paul Gackle of the Bay Area News Group reports.

It remains to be seen if Karlsson will be available for either of the Sharks' final two regular-season games, but the fact that he was a full participant at Tuesday's practice certainly bodes well for him being close to 100 percent for Game 1 of San Jose's first-round playoff series. Confirmation on Karlsson's status for Thursday's matchup with Edmonton should surface prior to puck drop.

The Sharks still aren't sure if Karlsson (groin) will be ready to return prior to the end of the regular season, but he and coach Pete Deboer are still confident he'll be ready for Game 1 of San Jose's first-round series, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

It almost seems like a foregone conclusion that Karlsson will miss the final three games of the regular season, but it appears as though San Jose is still optimistic that he'll be close to 100 percent once postseason play gets underway. Having said that, it's worth noting that the Swedish blueliner hasn't tasted game action for over a month at this point, so he'll undoubtedly have some rust to shake off whenever he's finally able to rejoin the lineup.

Karlsson (groin) has stopped skating on a daily basis, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports, which could be an indication he suffered a setback.

The Sharks continue to maintain that Karlsson could return to the lineup before the end of the regular season, but with just six games remaining, time is running out. If the world-class blueliner isn't able to get back soon, it could affect his performance in the postseason, assuming he is able to return at all this year.