Erik Karlsson doesn't seem happy and has a message for management

Following Monday's practice, San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson met with reporters and didn't appear to be too happy about the Timo Meier trade and also discussed if he has been asked by Mike Grier to waive his no-movement clause.

The Timo Meier trade signaled that the Sharks are in rebuild mode and as with any rebuild or retool, it's hard to tell how long it may take to get back to being a competitive hockey team again. It all depends on multiple factors including how they draft and how prospects develop.

While he understands, Karlsson admitted that he was disappointed with where things are going in San Jose at the stage he's at in his career.

Karlsson has been rumoured and linked to a moved with the Edmonton Oilers in recent weeks, but it seems unlikely to happen before 3 p.m. ET on Friday due to salary cap implications, among other factors.

When asked if he has been approached by general manager Mike Grier to waive his no-movement clause, Karlsson said he hasn't, but also added that it would be a bit weird to do so this close to the deadline, when they've had plenty of time if the Sharks wanted to do that.

The 32-year-old is having one of the best seasons of his NHL career and is well on his way to being nominated for the Norris Trophy. In 60 games, the Landsbro (Sweden) native has 77 points, 14 penalty minutes and is a minus-two.

It's understandable to see where Karlsson is coming from as a veteran player, wanting to be playing in meaningful games down the stretch in hopes of competing for the Stanley Cup. This season will mark the fourth straight year that Karlsson has not appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and any contending team would be more than happy to add him to their lineup, but unfortunately, his $11.5 million salary, even at 50% retained, would be very difficult to add.

Karlsson: "You trade a guy like Timo, I don't think that shows that this is going to be a quick turnaround. It's unfortunate...understand what needs to be done from an organizational perspective, and it just sucks that it happened to be where I'm at in this stage of my career."— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 27, 2023

Karlsson, on if Grier has reached out to him to waive his NMC: "He hasn't reached out to me, I think it'd be weird if he comes now with three days left to ask me to waive my no-move. We've had plenty of time for that if that was the case."— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 27, 2023

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