Ottawa 'will always be my home' says Karlsson after trade

The Ottawa Senators may have traded captain Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks, but he said that he still considers Ottawa “home.”

“It’s a very emotional and sad day for me and my family, but it’s an unfortunate part of the business,” Karlsson said at a press conference Thursday, choking back tears. “(Thank you) to the city of Ottawa for taking me in and making it my forever home.”

https://twitter.com/ian_mendes/status/1040323866843906048

Reaction

• The Ottawa Citizen has a bunch of stories online about the trade…
• Mayor Jim Watson tweeted that Karlsson will be missed. https://twitter.com/JimWatsonOttawa/status/1040307893122330625
• The Ottawa Senators published a press release with the headline “Ottawa Senators complete most important trade in rebuild” (which will probably inflame more than a few fans.) “While looking to the future with excitement and optimism, the franchise does wish to thank Erik Karlsson for his nine years of service,” the release said. https://twitter.com/Senators/status/1040331040487817216

There was skepticism and disappointment, to say the least.

• https://twitter.com/CFRASnow/status/1040322065964969984
• https://twitter.com/DownGoesBrown/status/1040308916922531845