Erik Karlsson leads all NHL defensemen with 47 points in 50 games, good enough for a 13 point lead on Shea Weber and Alex Edler. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
2012-01-24 16:45:00
Last season, Erik Karlsson burst into the mainstream as one of the league’s top offensive defensemen. This year the 21-year-old has taken his defensive game to another level and is now considered one of the NHL’s top blueliners at both ends of the rink.
As part of the Feb. 13, 2012 THN cover story, on newsstands and online now, THN’s Ken Campbell sat down with the Swedish-born defender to discuss a plethora of topics. In the first of our three-part interview Karlsson talks about his roots, his relationship with Daniel Alfredsson and much more. Check out Part 2 of the interview and Part 3.
REPORTER: Ken Campbell | PRODUCER: Ted Cooper
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"Last year we came in as maybe an underdog, quietly. Got off to the right start just because teams weren't really ready for us. But this time around that's not the case. They realize we are a good team and they're ready to go against us, right off the get-go."
- Los Angeles' Colin Fraser. The Kings have lost two in a row and are now tied 2-2 in their series against the San Jose Sharks.