SAN JOSE, Calif. — Erik Karlsson's otherworldly season reached new heights on Monday.
With two goals in a loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the San Jose Shark hit the 100-point mark, becoming the first defenseman to reach triple digits since Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers back in 1991-92.
He's also the first European-born defensemen in NHL history to reach a triple-digit point total in a single campaign and the oldest defenseman in NHL history at the time of his 100th point, ahead of Paul Coffey (28 years, 297 days in 1989-90), per NHL Public Relations.
The remarkable thing about Karlsson's season is he's had to do it all by himself, says Locked on Sharks host JD Young.
He leads the Sharks in scoring by 33 points over Logan Couture, and playing on a team much closer to landing Connor Bedard than challenging for a playoff spot anytime soon.
"There's going to be lots of debate about the Norris Trophy based on Karlsson's defense, but he's done something we haven't seen in 31 years," Young added, silencing the naysayers who point to Karlsson's ranking in defensive metrics compared to his counterparts.
The crazy thing too is many considered Karlsson to be well past his prime. But, at 32 years, 314 days, he became the fourth-oldest player in NHL history at the time of his first career 100-point season behind Gordie Howe (40 years, 364 days in 1968-69), Johnny Bucyk (35 years, 327 days in 1970-71) and Daniel Alfredsson (33 years, 128 days in 2005-06).
There was a lot of talk before the trade deadline about Karlsson getting traded, a move made difficult by the fact he has four years left on a deal that carries an $11.5 million cap hit.
Maybe those talks resurface this offseason, though, as his value will never be higher and he clearly has some gas left in the tank.
Either way, it's been a special season for Karlsson, and one that should be rated higher and not diminished because he plays for the Sharks.
Oh, and as a side note via the NHL, Karlsson became the 10th player to reach the 100-point mark in 2022-23, the most in one season since 1995-96 (12). Three other players are within four points of the benchmark entering the final four days of the season; 2022-23 can become the sixth campaign in NHL history with more than a dozen 100-point players (21 in 1992-93; 16 in 1984-85; 13 in 1989-90; 13 in 1985-86; & 13 in 1981-82).