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Photo of Melker Karlsson

Melker Karlsson

#68 · Centre · San Jose Sharks

Born Jul 18, 1990 in Lycksele, SWE · 6'0", 180 lb · Shoots right

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2014-15. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Brandon Pirri FLA · 24 P in 49 GP Jordan Staal CAR · 24 P in 46 GP Josh Jooris CGY · 24 P in 60 GP Martin Hanzal ARI · 24 P in 37 GP Linden Vey VAN · 24 P in 75 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

051015202014-15: 24 points2414-152015-16: 19 points1915-162016-17: 22 points2216-172017-18: 19 points1917-182018-19: 16 points1618-192019-20: 12 points1219-20

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2014-15 SJS 53 13 11 24 -3 20 100 51 0.45 $825K
2015-16 SJS 65 10 9 19 5 16 96 76 0.29 $1.65M
2016-17 SJS 67 11 11 22 7 22 73 67 0.33 $1.65M
2017-18 SJS 71 8 11 19 -5 26 76 81 0.27 $2M
2018-19 SJS 79 12 4 16 -1 26 79 67 0.20 $2M
2019-20 SJS 61 6 6 12 -7 20 56 38 0.20 $2M
6 seasons Career 396 60 52 112 -4 130 480 380 0.28

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2015-16 SJS 24 5 3 8 3 10 25 32 0.33
2016-17 SJS 6 1 0 1 0 6 7 17 0.17
2017-18 SJS 10 0 3 3 2 2 14 21 0.30
2018-19 SJS 20 0 2 2 -2 4 20 25 0.10
4 seasons Playoffs 60 6 8 14 3 22 66 95 0.23

2014-15 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
53 13 11 24 -3 20 100 51 0.45 13.0 15:26

Contract

$825KCap hit2014-15
$34KCap dollars per point24 points in 53 games
$136KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.1 goals above replacement
$4.2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$3.4MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 649 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2018-19 to 2019-20 $2M
2017-18 to 2017-18 $2M
2015-16 to 2016-17 $1.65M
2014-15 to 2014-15 $825K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2014-15 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2014-15 analytics

Rating

+6.1Goals above replacement168th of 665 skaters, 120th of 432 forwards
+1.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+3.8Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 432 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+1.5 68th percentileEven-strength defence+2.5 92nd percentilePower play-0.6 16th percentilePenalty kill0.0 33rd percentilePenalties+0.4 53rd percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-4-2024682014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

54.5Corsi for %750 attempts for, 625 against
+5.2CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.6Expected goals for %30.7 expected for, 23.5 against
+7.4xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
54.5Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.8Goals for %30 for, 29 against
98.7PDO7.9% shooting + 90.8% saves
163Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 585 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Joe Thornton · Joe Pavelski · Melker Karlsson35408:2561.160.619-15
James Sheppard · Barclay Goodrow · Melker Karlsson1098:4849.759.85-3
Joe Pavelski · Logan Couture · Melker Karlsson1164:5350.057.63-2
Joe Thornton · Patrick Marleau · Melker Karlsson525:0135.541.20-1

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

13Goalsnot counting empty-netters
12.0Expected goalsfrom 141 unblocked attempts
+1.0Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.88 expected goals per 60 minutes80th
Shot quality 8.5% chance per attempt84th
Finishing +1.0 goals above expected67thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 415 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0510Game 20Game 40Goals 13Expected 12.0

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 11, 2015 @ LAK L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:36
Apr 9, 2015 @ EDM W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 15:04
Apr 6, 2015 vs DAL L 1-5 0 0 0 -2 2 0 1 15:13
Apr 4, 2015 @ ARI L 3-5 0 1 1 1 0 2 2 16:04
Apr 3, 2015 vs ARI W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 14:34
Apr 1, 2015 vs COL W 5-1 0 1 1 2 0 0 4 18:39
Mar 29, 2015 @ PIT L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 14:39
Mar 28, 2015 @ PHI W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 16:55
Mar 26, 2015 @ DET W 6-4 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 17:15
Mar 23, 2015 @ OTT L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 18:26
Mar 21, 2015 @ MTL L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 19:52
Mar 19, 2015 @ TOR W 4-1 1 0 1 0 0 5 0 14:03
Mar 17, 2015 @ WPG L 2-5 0 1 1 1 2 7 0 15:15
Mar 14, 2015 vs CHI L 2-6 1 0 1 -2 2 6 0 14:11
Mar 12, 2015 vs NSH W 2-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 13:51
Mar 9, 2015 vs PIT W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 15:10
Mar 7, 2015 vs VAN L 2-3 1 0 1 0 2 3 3 16:05
Mar 3, 2015 @ VAN W 6-2 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 15:20
Mar 2, 2015 vs MTL W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 15:20
Feb 28, 2015 vs OTT L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 15:15
Feb 26, 2015 vs DET L 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 13:54
Feb 21, 2015 vs LAK L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 16:27
Feb 19, 2015 @ DAL W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 15:14
Feb 17, 2015 @ NSH L 1-5 0 1 1 -2 0 2 0 14:12
Feb 15, 2015 vs TBL L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 3 16:26
Feb 13, 2015 @ ARI W 4-2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 17:08
Feb 11, 2015 vs WSH L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 19:21
Feb 9, 2015 vs CGY L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17:20
Feb 7, 2015 vs CAR L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 16:09
Feb 5, 2015 @ VAN W 5-1 1 0 1 1 2 2 1 15:14
Feb 4, 2015 @ CGY L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20:26
Feb 2, 2015 vs EDM L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 2 0 4 3 16:54
Jan 31, 2015 vs CHI W 2-0 1 1 2 2 0 2 2 17:25
Jan 29, 2015 vs ANA W 6-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 17:53
Jan 21, 2015 vs LAK W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 17:00
Jan 19, 2015 vs NJD L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 16:50
Jan 17, 2015 vs CGY L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 3 0 15:25
Jan 15, 2015 vs TOR W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16:21
Jan 13, 2015 @ ARI W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 13:17
Jan 10, 2015 vs NYR L 1-3 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 15:50
Jan 8, 2015 @ STL L 2-7 1 0 1 -1 0 2 0 13:06
Jan 6, 2015 @ MIN W 4-3 (OT) 1 0 1 2 0 3 0 16:24
Jan 5, 2015 @ WPG W 3-2 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 11:38
Jan 3, 2015 vs STL L 2-7 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 13:11
Dec 31, 2014 @ ANA W 3-0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 12:32
Dec 30, 2014 vs VAN L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 12:49
Dec 27, 2014 @ LAK L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 11:51
Dec 22, 2014 @ ANA L 2-3 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 13:15
Dec 20, 2014 vs STL W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 15:18
Dec 18, 2014 vs EDM W 4-3 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 12:24
Dec 13, 2014 vs NSH W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 14:13
Dec 11, 2014 vs MIN W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 14:56
Dec 9, 2014 vs EDM W 5-2 0 1 1 2 2 1 2 11:53