Erik Karlsson's Return from Injury Confirmed: Here's When to Expect Him Back

Karlsson missed basically the entirety of Penguins camp with a minor injury that they were treating with caution. In fact, he did not get into a single pre-season game. However, part of this was likely precautionary, as the Penguins certainly did not want to lose the 34-year-old to an injury in a meaningless contest. However, it does appear as though he will be ready to go for the Penguins' season opener on Wednesday. Rob Rossi of the Athletic actually confirmed that Karlsson will be playing on opening night.

According to the latest reports, Karlsson will be sharing the top powerplay spot with Kris Letang as Mike Sullivan experiments with two defenseman on the top unit. The Penguins tried this at times last season as well but it never worked on a consistent basis. That being said, the powerplay in general was a major weakness for the Penguins last season so hopefully they can turn that around this year.

Karlsson's health will be a factor for the Penguins this season as they attempt to get back into the playoffs despite now missing Jake Guentzel. If the three-time Norris winning defenseman can play close to 82 games and puts up 60-70 points, that would go a long way to getting the penguins back in contention.

Furthermore, that would likely mean a healthy powerplay which would also make a huge difference for the team. Kyle Dubas knows this which may have been part of the reason the team was so careful with him in the pre-season. That being said, he could look slow in the first couple of games as he warms back up to NHL speed.