Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson is sad to say goodbye to a teammate and friend.
Fellow defenseman Dion Phaneuf was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, prompting immediate reactions from Karlsson and a few other Sens.
"It's an unfortunate part of the business," said Karlsson, per Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "He's a good friend of mine and a good friend of everybody on this team."
"This is a tough day because they're real character guys and real pros," added head coach Guy Boucher, referring to Phaneuf and Nate Thompson, who was also sent to the Kings.
Karlsson and a couple other teammates took to Twitter to express their feelings:
It’s with a tear in my eye I say goodbye for now, to 2 good friends and true pros. I wish you nothing but the best @NateThompson44 and my dearest friend Dion.
— Erik Karlsson (@ErikKarlsson65) February 14, 2018
Side note: For those wondering about the wording, Karlsson added a follow up:
Settle down people the “for now” means I’m not saying goodbye forever. We will still remain friends off the ice even though we’re not playing on the same team.
— Erik Karlsson (@ErikKarlsson65) February 14, 2018
Never gets easier saying goodbye to teammates, especially great ones like @NateThompson44 and Dion... Can’t thank you two enough for welcoming me in this year the way you did. Thank you, and best of luck boys!
— Matt Duchene (@Matt9Duchene) February 14, 2018
Always sucks to see one of your good friends go. All the best in California #2
— Mike Hoffman (@MHoffy68) February 14, 2018
Coming to Ottawa are forwards Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore.
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