(Photo Courtesy: NHL.com)
A long awaited trade of an all-star has been officially made by the Ottawa Senators and it could have a big impact on the local American Hockey League club.
Captain Erik Karlsson has been dealt to the San Jose Sharks along with former Belleville Senator Francis Perron in exchange for forward Chris Tierney, defenceman Dylan Demelo, AHL’er Rudolfs Balcers, the rights to University of Michigan’s Josh Norris, and four draft picks.
They include a 2019 or 2020 1st round choice, a 2019 second round selection and two conditional picks.
A deal has been rumoured for months after Karlsson did not sign an extension offer from the Senators over the summer.
The move came Thursday ahead of the first on-ice session at Senators training camp.
Both Tierney and Demelo played with the Sharks last season and will likely step right into Ottawa’s lineup, but Balcers could find himself skating for the Belleville Senators in 2018-19. The Latvia native recorded a team-leading 48 points last season with the San Jose Barracuda, AHL affiliate of the Sharks.
