Erik Karlsson Heard Jarry Message, Future with Penguins Unclear

“It sends a message,” Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson said when speaking to reporters on Thursday. After watching proven goaltender Tristan Jarry get placed on waivers and then clear, Karlsson said it was an odd feeling knowing that anyone, at any time, could be dumped if they aren’t pulling their weight.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Karlsson sat across the room watching Joel Blomqvist talk to the media after being called up. The netminder was getting set for an individual workout, and everyone in the dressing was likely wondering what move was coming next after Kyle Dubas told the media on Wednesday that he might make mistakes, but it’s his job to correct them.

The trade to acquire Erik Karlsson is seen by some as the biggest blunder Dubas has made since becoming GM. As good as he is, he was more of what the Penguins already had with Kris Letang. Few believed the mix would work and, thus far, it really hasn’t.

Karlsson Knows He’s Not Safe From Being Moved

Karlsson cannot be traded, sent to minors or waived without player approval, as per his contract. That doesn’t mean a buyout is out of the question or that sitting as a healthy scratch won’t happen. Rob Rossi of The Athletic wrote, “The cold, it’s-a-business precision that flipped Jarry to Blomqvist in the dressing room was not lost on Karlsson.”