Karlsson trade to Sharks from Senators hot topic at China Games

SHENZHEN, China -- The reverberations of
the trade
that sent two-time
Norris Trophy
-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday were felt halfway across the world.

Players, coaches and executives from the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames, here for the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games, woke up Friday to the news of the trade that will have an impact on each of them.
With Karlsson going from Ottawa to San Jose for four players and at least two draft picks, the Bruins no longer will have to deal with him in the Atlantic Division. The Flames? They now face the possibility of seeing Karlsson and Brent Burns on defense four times a season in the Pacific Division.
RELATED: [Karlsson traded to Sharks by Senators | Karlsson trade completes Sharks' quest to add difference-maker]
It's a challenge they are embracing.
"I like playing against good teams on a consistent basis because it makes you elevate your level and stay at a consistent high level," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "There are no nights off in the National Hockey League. You know that.
"It's pretty obvious to me that he was going to end up in the Western Conference. It makes a good team better."
Forward James Neal, who as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights last season helped defeat the Sharks in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, said he too welcomes the challenge.
"It makes our division tougher and that's all right. I don't mind that," he said.
Peters has discussed with his coaching staff the problems a defense pair of Karlsson and Burns will create for opponents. They lamented what all teams will face when it comes to forechecking and killing penalties against San Jose.
"Those [defensemen] are going to be up the ice all the time in the rush," Peters said. "And they're going to have a fantastic power play. They already do and now it's even better. It'll go two units deep."

The Bruins, not surprisingly, were feeling less pressure.
"It's nice we don't have to play against him four times a year," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said.
"I'm curious to see who the third right [defenseman] is in San Jose. Is he going to get on the ice, poor guy? Burns and Karlsson, that's a nice 1-2 punch."
Bruins forward David Backes, who played his first 10 NHL seasons with the St. Louis Blue before signing with Boston as a free agent before the 2016-17 season, said he understands what Karlsson, who was drafted by Ottawa and played his first nine NHL seasons there, is going through.
"He had put his heart and soul into the team that drafted him," Backes said. "There's a personal side to the game. Fans with their fantasy rosters may see Player A switch teams to a team where he's going to have more success and be more valuable, but there is a family side and he's got a wife and a strong connection to the community in Ottawa. For me, I look more on the personal side.
"But yeah, I'm not mad to not play against Erik Karlsson in Ottawa anymore," he said.