SAN JOSE — There’s only been one word that’s been mentioned as often as “Erik” or “Karlsson” through the first few days of Sharks training camp.
“Competition’s tight,” forward Barclay Goodrow said.
“There’s a lot of competition,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said.
“The competition,” assistant GM Tim Burke said, “is tough. It’s healthy.”
Perhaps in recent years, the Sharks only had a small number of roster openings at the start of their training camps, mainly for reserve forwards or as the sixth and seventh defensemen.
That changed last week — particularly among the forward group — after the Sharks acquired Erik Karlsson from Ottawa and sent Chris Tierney, Dylan DeMelo, Rudolfs Balcers and a handful of draft picks to the Senators.