Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
PITTSBURGH — Erik Karlsson took the high road.
On opening night, Hasso Plattner spoke for the first time to local media in a decade.
The San Jose Sharks owner was surprisingly frank when speaking about Karlsson, who GM Doug Wilson acquired to much fanfare, in the summer of 2018.
There’s no need to re-litigate the highs and lows of Karlsson’s tenure with the Sharks — we’ve done that plenty at San Jose Hockey Now — but Plattner was pointed in his comments about Karlsson.“
First, one [star] is not enough. Second, you know his qualities and you know his deficiencies; he was not the most, how do I say it, team-friendly player,” Plattner said about Karlsson. “He was good, but he was probably very good in a very good team.”
In a one-on-one interview with SJHN in Dallas last week, Karlsson offered no comment, stressing that he still has a good relationship with his former owner.
Karlsson, instead, is focused on the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he’s enjoying a bounce-back campaign.
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