The Ottawa Senators are hoping to keep Erik Karlsson for a long time.
According to a TSN report, the Senators will offer Karlsson a new eight-year contract this summer. Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion met with fans Tuesday night for a town hall, where he said that the Senators held a 30-minute meeting with Karlsson on Monday.
"At the end of the day, it will be his choice," Dorion said. "If we offer him a fair contract and he doesn't want to sign here, then we will have to look at other options. The ball will be in his court.”
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Karlsson is entering the final year of a seven-year contract that pays the Senators' captain $6.5 million per season. The 27-year-old is believed to be after a big raise in line with his status as one of the premier defencemen in the NHL.
It seems as though the Senators are willing to bump up Karlsson's compensation, but they warned that they may not be able to compete with bigger-spending teams for the Swede's services.
"We will offer Erik Karlsson a contract on July 1st. It's important our fans know that. We hope he'll remain a Senator for years to come,” Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said. "If it's a question of dollars, there are teams who can outgun us. The cap gives us a fighting chance. There's only so far you can go and we're going to go as far as we can."