NEWARK, N.J. \u2014 It\u2019s worth digging into some of Erik Karlsson\u2019s comments that have gained traction on social media after the Pittsburgh Penguins\u2019 2-1 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.<\/p>\n
After the game \u2014 the Penguins played well despite the loss \u2014 I asked the star defenseman if he is starting to believe in his team, even though people around the NHL had low expectations for the Penguins entering the season.<\/p>\n
This was the direction he took the question: \u201cWe have good individual players. And now we\u2019re finally starting to feel good as a team. The roles are starting to slot in. You know what\u2019s expected of you. You do the things you\u2019re good at, and not the things that someone tells you to do that you can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Was that a shot at former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan and his staff? It certainly came across that way. Karlsson never mentioned Sullivan or anyone from his former staff by name. He didn\u2019t mention new Penguins coach Dan Muse or his staff, either. But he said what he said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear Karlsson didn\u2019t see eye to eye with Sullivan and his staff. This isn\u2019t the first time he\u2019s voiced it, either. You might recall a comment he made nearly two years ago during his first season in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
The Penguins had just lost an overtime game in Raleigh, N.C., and Karlsson was asked about the Penguins\u2019 three-on-three troubles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have my theories, but I\u2019ll keep it to myself,\u201d he said then.<\/p>\n
A few minutes after those comments, a Penguins employee asked to hear the recording of what Karlsson said. That person passed along the comment to Sullivan, who was not particularly amused by it.<\/p>\n
So, clearly, Karlsson isn\u2019t afraid to say what\u2019s on his mind. And from what he\u2019s saying now, he\u2019s more comfortable and happy playing for Muse. Karlsson has been one of the NHL\u2019s best defensemen through 20 percent of the season. He\u2019s been the guy the Penguins thought they\u2019d traded for in August 2023.<\/p>\n
Some players, of course, will always be Sullivan believers. It\u2019s no secret that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang remain close with Sullivan and never wanted him to leave. The Big Three seem pleased with Muse, but they\u2019re \u201cSully guys.\u201d Karlsson is not.<\/p>\n
Those differing opinions haven\u2019t impacted Karlsson\u2019s relationship with any member of the Big Three.<\/p>\n
Crosby, Malkin and Letang love Karlsson. They seem to appreciate that he\u2019s his own guy and that he marches to the beat of a different drummer. They accept him for who he is. From a hockey standpoint, his genius with the puck replicates theirs, so they liked playing with him from the start.<\/p>\n
You may notice that, when Crosby scores goals, Karlsson often mimes as if he\u2019s drawing a mustache<\/a> on the captain\u2019s face. This started two years ago, when Crosby started the season slowly. Then, in \u201cMovember,\u201d when much of the NHL grows mustaches to draw attention to various men\u2019s health issues<\/a>, Crosby got hot.<\/p>\n So, to this day, when they\u2019re both on the ice and Crosby scores, Karlsson pretends to draw a mustache on Crosby\u2019s face. That\u2019s just one example of how Karlsson has fit into this locker room nicely.<\/p>\n Since acquiring Karlsson, the Penguins have faded. Although his play hasn\u2019t been all that great over the past two seasons, he\u2019s not viewed around the organization as a primary reason for the Penguins\u2019 decline.<\/p>\n He is viewed as a primary reason why they\u2019re so much better this season. Karlsson may view Sullivan differently from the other three future Hall of Famers in the Penguins\u2019 lineup, but Karlsson, Crosby, Malkin and Letang are very much on the same page.<\/p>\n Letang leveling out<\/p>\n