Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Henrik Karlsson
See More
It took until April 7 for Karlsson to pick up his first win of 2011-12, and he struggled with consistency as Miikka Kiprusoff’s backup. He played well in his last few games of the season, but will have to fight off up-and-comer Leland Irving for the No. 2 spot. Even if he gets the job, he won’t play many more than 10 games.
Listed at 6-foot-6, Karlsson is aptly named "Calgary Tower," as he takes up plenty of real estate in net for the Flames. He's likely to reprise his roles as a solid backup goalie to incumbent Miikka Kiprusoff, which means the Swede will likely only see pucks in approximately 15-20 games. Last year, for his first taste of the NHL, Karlsson posted a 2.58 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 17 appearances between the pipes. He's talented, but it would take a Kirprusoff injury for Karlsson to be worth a look in the fantasy realm.
Karlsson was traded to the Flames after a superb campaign in Sweden. He'll be the odds-on favorite to win the backup job behind Miikaa Kiprusoff, if for no other reason than he would have to pass through waivers if the Flames were to try to send him down, and that they lack a veteran backstopper otherwise behind Kippy. However, being the backup behind Kiprusoff is a bit like being the Maytag Repairman - he could get as few as 10-12 starts.
Shortly after losing their bid to acquire Swedish goalie prospect Jonas Gustavsson, the Sharks settled for Karlsson, another Swede who knows a thing or two about stopping biscuits. The 25-year-old crafted a 2.45 goals against average in 32 games with Malmo, but he’s already lost out on the opportunity to play second fiddle behind starter Evgeni Nabokov. Thomas Greiss will assume that role instead.
