Ottawa GM Bryan Murry doesn't believe that Erik Karlsson's price will change if he emerges from Wednesday's NHL Awards with the Norris Trophy. "We're cheering like crazy for him to win," said Murray. "It's not going to change one penny. People have suggested it (will), but we all know where we are with this guy. I've made no secret of it with Erik and his agents. We all know this is a good hockey player and this is a guy we want in our fold for a number of years. We think he is, and hopefully we're right, on the upswing of his career and he should be an exciting player for Ottawa fans to watch for a lot of years." Murray and Karlsson's agent, Craig Oster, are slated to engage in face-to-face talks this week.

Erik Karlsson is the Ottawa Senators' brightest light and the Ottawa Senators fully intend to lock up the star defenseman with a long-term contract. "I believe his people are going to be in Vegas (for the NHL awards this week) and I'm hoping that they'll buy me a coffee," Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray said. "Maybe we can sit down and talk one of the mornings before the awards ceremony. We haven't thrown numbers around, we don't know, but we do know we want to get together." Karlsson, selected 15th overall in 2008, had a breakthrough season and is a cornerstone player for the Sens. Karlsson is coming off his entry-level contract that had a cap hit of $1.3-million and is looking for a significant increase. Murray knows another team can present an offer sheet, but isn't overly concerned by the prospect. "I'm not saying something wouldn't happen with another club, but I can't imagine that they wouldn't think that we would match no matter what," said Murray. "We're going to negotiate on the basis that we have time. We will get it done. It sounds like both parties want to get it done."

Senators coach Paul MacLean thinks Erik Karlsson should win the Norris Trophy. "Will he win? I don't know," MacLean said. "Should he win? I believe he has done enough to do it." Obviously, we wouldn't expect a different answer from his coach, but there is certainly an argument to be made for Karlsson. He's not a physical force, but he recorded 25 points more than the next best blueliner. That level of domination in one important category is remarkable. Ultimately, his offensive contributions might not be enough to give him an edge among the Norris Trophy finalists, but either way he's clearly the best fantasy defenseman in standard leagues.

Erik Karlsson is optimistic about his ongoing contract talks with the Ottawa Senators. Karlsson is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. He's interested in signing a long-term contract and he is certainly in a position to make major demands after recording 78 points last season. That being said, Karlsson is optimistic that the two sides can come to terms. "There are no issues," Karlsson said. "I want to stay and they want me, so I don't think there are going to be any problems signing a new contract."

Ottawa GM Bryan Murray has started preliminary contract talks with Erik Karlsson's agent, Craig Oster, on a new deal for the potential restricted free agent defender. The two sides are expected to talk again in Las Vegas next week when the NHL gathers for their annual awards ceremony.

GM Bryan Murray said he plans to talk with Erik Karlsson's agent, Craig Oster, and have an offer on the table next week. Murray said there have been informal talks between the two sides, but now it's time to get down to business with the pending restricted free agent. It is believed that Karlsson will be looking for a contract like the eight-year, $56 million deal that Drew Doughty was given by the Los Angeles Kings in September. "We haven't gone there (as far as money is concerned)," said Murray. "I have an idea, looking at comparables and somewhat comparables. He's a difficult player that way." Karlsson broke out offensively in 2011-12 with 78 points in 81 games to lead all NHL defensemen in scoring.

Erik Karlsson thinks he needs to work on his defensive game. Karlsson had 78 points in 81 games in 2011-12, so he's not going to get much better offensively, but he thinks he still has room to improve as a player. "My main priority has always been to be more of an all-around player," said Karlsson. "I want to play in situations where the game is on the line and I want to be able to play both defensively and offensively. My defensive game is something I need to improve on to be an elite player and it's something I'm going to have to keep working on in every game and every day." Karlsson is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer and will probably end up getting over $6 million annually.

With the Erik Karlsson scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk warned that his team can't go "toe-to-toe" with the big markets. In other words, Karlsson will have to be "reasonable" with his contract demands. The question is, what's reasonable for a 21-year-old defenseman that is coming off a 78-point season? The Senators and Karlsson should be able to come to an agreement, but Karlsson will probably come with a cap hit in excess of $6 million next season.

Erik Karlsson has been nominated for the Norris Trophy. His 78 points represented the most by an NHL defenseman since Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom recorded 80 in 2005-06. Karlsson led all blueliners in goals (19), assists (59) and points. He also vastly improved his plus/minus rating to a plus-16 after he ended up with a minus-30 the year before. His play has made him the most valuable fantasy defenseman going into next season, but it may not secure him the Norris. Karlsson's play is reminiscent to that of Washington's Mike Green in 2008-09 when he led all rearguards with 31 goals and 73 points and he came up short to Boston's Zdeno Chara for the award. Don't be surprised if the same thing happens this time around as well.

Erik Karlsson hasn't found much room to operate offensively during Ottawa's first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers. He has registered just one goal on 31 shots over six contests going into Game 7 on Thursday night. "I want to produce more and do more stuff. Sometimes you're going to have to do something else to help the team win," Karlsson said. "If that's throwing hits, blocking shots or playing good defensively, you gotta do what you have to do to win." Karlsson led all NHL blueliners with 78 points in 81 games during the regular season.