Sens Send Down Karlsson

The Senators have put the Erik Karlsson experiment on hold, as they have decided to send down the young Swedish defenseman to Binghamton of the AHL, where he'll get some time to develop. Since Karlsson is heading down to the AHL, he will be eligible to return to the Senators during the year.

In the first nine games of the season, Karlsson did manage to register three assists with the big club, while putting in some good time on the ice, averaging over 17 minutes per game. Karlsson ranked 11th on the team in ice-time, including getting some power play time each game. He's got plenty of upside with the Sens, but it looks like they can slide another year out of his entry-level deal with this demotion.

Karlsson was a sly pick by Peter in the Draft, but it was a gamble nevertheless. When you deal with rookies, you have to take into consideration the chance that he will be sent down to the juniors or the minors. There is a very slim chance that the Senators will need to call him up, but it will have to be earned by Karlsson in the minors or a desperate need for the Senators to have him and use up that first year on his entry-level deal.