Sharks’ Karlsson on Reimer’s decision, those Oilers trade rumors, Eklund’s situation, and his own future

Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson might not have necessarily agreed with goalie James Reimer’s decision to not wear a Pride-themed warmup jersey before a game in San Jose over the weekend but reiterated that NHL players are free to make their own choices regarding such topics.

Karlsson and all other Sharks players who participated in pregame warmups Saturday on Pride Night at SAP Center donned jerseys that were meant to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Reimer, citing his religious beliefs, did not want to wear the jersey and stayed off the ice for warmups. He backed up Kaapo Kahkonen in the Sharks’ 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders.

Reimer is starting Monday as the Sharks, looking to snap a six-game losing streak, play the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.

Asked Monday in Edmonton how the Sharks handled the situation in their room, Karlsson said, “We live in a free world, everybody has their own decisions to make. I made mine, I’m happy about that. I think that everybody else did the same, and that’s pretty much all you can say about it. I can’t speak for anyone else. But I think that overall, you do the best in the situation you have, and we all make our own decisions.

“Like I said, I made mine and I’m happy with it.”

Karlsson said having such nights to show acceptance of groups that might feel marginalized in the sports world are important from an organizational standpoint.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Karlsson said. “We are in a position where we have a lot of focus and a lot of people are watching us and to be able to use our platform for certain things is a great opportunity to try and bring in knowledge.”

RUMOR MILL: Karlsson was asked how much he paid attention to reports that said the Oilers were interested in acquiring him prior to the March 3 trade deadline.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier and Oilers GM Ken Holland had talks about the defenseman but it never reached a point where Grier had a proposal to bring to Karlsson, who has a full no-movement clause in his contract.

“I read the same things as everybody else. I didn’t hear much different,” Karlsson said. “I was never approached in any fashion. I just kept to myself and did what I did.”

Karlsson entered Monday as the NHL leader among all defensemen in goals (20), assists (65), and points, and still has a realistic chance to become the first defenseman to collect 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch had 102 In 1991-92.

Karlsson’s eye-popping statistics make him the favorite to win a third Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. He maintained that he hasn’t thought about that distinction, adding that he’s just trying to help the Sharks finish a dismal season on an upbeat note.

The Sharks are in next-to-last place in the NHL with a 19-37-14 record, as they have gone 1-7-2 since trading Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 26.

“It’s been a tough year,” Karlsson said. “Obviously I’ve had some individual success, but I’m not going to lie, it’s not been fun for the majority of it, and that’s the way it should feel when you’re not winning games and you are where you are in the standings.”

Karlsson, who will turn 33 in May, was asked what he’s thought about the Sharks’ effort to retool on the fly as an older player.

“I’m in a different situation now than I was four years ago when I signed here,” he said. “It is what it is. I’ve seen other guys go through it before. It’s unfortunate. I want to win hockey games and I want to be able to compete for the ultimate goal, and unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that here for quite some time now.

“We’ll see what the future brings.”

KARLSSON ON EKLUND: The Sharks on Sunday reassigned William Eklund to the Barracuda and recalled Andrew Agozzino. Eklund had three points in eight games for the Sharks this month but had he played a 10th game this season, the first year of his three-year entry-level contract would have kicked in, and expired after the 2024-25 season. Now Eklund can’t become a restricted free agent until after the 2025-26 season.

“I think he kind of knew the situation he was in, unfortunately, with the contract situation and everything,” Karlsson said. “He was obviously still very disappointed, as he should be. I’m sure this is where he wants to be, in the NHL. This is where he’s going to be for a very long time, so there’s no need to rush into anything. He’s done a good job this year in acclimating to the style of play, it’s only going to benefit him coming into training camp next year.”

Karlsson is excited about Eklund’s future.

“I don’t think this organization is in any rush to try and force him into doing things earlier than he’s supposed to,” Karlsson said. “He’s a big part of the plan here and I think he knows that, so I’m sure he’s going to go down to the Barracuda with a good attitude and hopefully make the playoffs down there and get some more experience, which is just going to benefit himself and this organization, this team coming into next year.”