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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 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Tyler Motte VAN · 16 P in 74 GP Denis Malgin FLA · 16 P in 50 GP Michael Grabner ARI · 16 P in 41 GP Austin Watson NSH · 16 P in 37 GP Andrew Cogliano DAL · 17 P in 78 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

2018-19 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
79 12 4 16 -1 26 79 67 0.20 15.2 11:30

Contract

$2MCap hitends in 2020, then UFA
$125KCap dollars per point16 points in 79 games
-$1.1MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$3.1MValueworth 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. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 696 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. It runs through 2019-20, with 1 season left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit
2018-19 $2M
2019-20 $2M

Each season left on the contract. Only its cap hit and its end are known: how the pay is split by season, and any signing bonus, are not.

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 2018-19 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.

2018-19 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

-2.5Goals above replacement658th of 699 skaters, 440th of 455 forwards
-0.4Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-5.0Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 455 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-6.1 1st percentileEven-strength defence+2.5 89th percentilePower play-0.1 48th percentilePenalty kill-0.9 3rd percentilePenalties-0.4 20th 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

53.0Corsi for %694 attempts for, 616 against
-2.3CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.5Expected goals for %26.2 expected for, 27.9 against
-7.3xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
54.0Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
44.0Goals for %22 for, 28 against
97.4PDO6.5% shooting + 90.9% saves
117Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 591 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
Barclay Goodrow · Melker Karlsson · Lukas Radil21141:1757.947.66-3
Micheal Haley · Barclay Goodrow · Melker Karlsson16112:0754.252.12-2
Barclay Goodrow · Melker Karlsson · Kevin Labanc1690:5256.557.56-4
Barclay Goodrow · Melker Karlsson · Rourke Chartier1267:5349.640.80-3

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.

10Goalsnot counting empty-netters
7.5Expected goalsfrom 105 unblocked attempts
+2.5Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.49 expected goals per 60 minutes7th
Shot quality 7.1% chance per attempt24th
Finishing +2.5 goals above expected76thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 426 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0246810Game 20Game 40Game 60Goals 10Expected 7.5

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. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 6, 2019 vs COL W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:01
Apr 4, 2019 @ EDM W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:31
Mar 28, 2019 vs CHI L 4-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 11:09
Mar 25, 2019 vs DET L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 10:18
Mar 22, 2019 @ ANA L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 13:47
Mar 21, 2019 @ LAK L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 11:54
Mar 18, 2019 vs VGK L 3-7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 13:22
Mar 16, 2019 vs NSH L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 10:02
Mar 14, 2019 vs FLA L 2-4 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 10:25
Mar 12, 2019 @ WPG W 5-4 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 11:14
Mar 11, 2019 @ MIN W 3-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 14:09
Mar 9, 2019 vs STL W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 11:14
Mar 7, 2019 vs MTL W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10:50
Mar 3, 2019 vs CHI W 5-2 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 12:55
Mar 1, 2019 vs COL W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 11:42
Feb 26, 2019 @ BOS L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 14:17
Feb 24, 2019 @ DET W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11:37
Feb 23, 2019 @ CBJ L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 12:43
Feb 21, 2019 @ PIT W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 12:29
Feb 18, 2019 vs BOS L 5-6 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11:50
Feb 16, 2019 vs VAN W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 09:42
Feb 14, 2019 vs WSH L 1-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13:04
Feb 11, 2019 @ VAN W 7-2 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 11:59
Feb 9, 2019 @ EDM W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00:59
Feb 7, 2019 @ CGY W 5-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 12:12
Feb 5, 2019 @ WPG W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 11:42
Feb 2, 2019 vs ARI W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 12:55
Jan 22, 2019 @ WSH W 7-6 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 10:07
Jan 21, 2019 @ FLA L 2-6 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 12:13
Jan 19, 2019 @ TBL L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 11:50
Jan 16, 2019 @ ARI L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 09:52
Jan 15, 2019 vs PIT W 5-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 09:39
Jan 12, 2019 vs OTT W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 12:13
Jan 10, 2019 @ VGK W 3-2 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 11:01
Jan 8, 2019 vs EDM W 7-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11:39
Jan 7, 2019 vs LAK W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 09:44
Jan 5, 2019 vs TBL W 5-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 10:24
Jan 2, 2019 @ COL W 5-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 12:13
Dec 31, 2018 @ CGY L 5-8 0 0 0 -1 2 1 1 12:16
Dec 29, 2018 @ EDM W 7-4 2 0 2 1 0 4 2 11:33
Dec 27, 2018 vs ANA W 4-2 1 0 1 2 2 3 1 10:42
Dec 23, 2018 vs ARI L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 09:42
Dec 22, 2018 vs LAK L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 08:44
Dec 20, 2018 vs WPG L 3-5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 10:44
Dec 18, 2018 @ MIN W 4-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 12:41
Dec 16, 2018 @ CHI W 7-3 1 1 2 2 0 3 0 13:11
Dec 13, 2018 vs DAL W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 12:59
Dec 10, 2018 vs NJD W 5-2 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 12:48
Dec 8, 2018 @ ARI W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 11:32
Dec 7, 2018 @ DAL L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 07:41
Dec 5, 2018 vs CAR W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 10:29
Dec 2, 2018 @ MTL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 13:12
Dec 1, 2018 @ OTT L 2-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:19
Nov 28, 2018 @ TOR L 3-5 1 0 1 1 0 6 1 13:38
Nov 27, 2018 @ BUF L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 10:18
Nov 24, 2018 @ VGK L 0-6 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 14:31
Nov 23, 2018 vs VAN W 4-0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 12:37
Nov 20, 2018 vs EDM L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 08:30
Nov 17, 2018 vs STL W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 12:57
Nov 15, 2018 vs TOR L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 4 0 2 12:46
Nov 13, 2018 vs NSH W 5-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 12:09
Nov 11, 2018 vs CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11:14
Nov 9, 2018 @ STL L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 2 0 1 10:08
Nov 8, 2018 @ DAL L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 09:25
Nov 6, 2018 vs MIN W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12:15
Nov 3, 2018 vs PHI W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 11:07
Nov 1, 2018 vs CBJ L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 07:51
Oct 30, 2018 vs NYR L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 12:19
Oct 28, 2018 @ ANA W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 13:19
Oct 26, 2018 @ CAR L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 13:13
Oct 23, 2018 @ NSH W 5-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11:16
Oct 20, 2018 vs NYI W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 13:26
Oct 18, 2018 vs BUF W 5-1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 11:43
Oct 14, 2018 @ NJD L 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 12:29
Oct 11, 2018 @ NYR L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11:05
Oct 9, 2018 @ PHI W 8-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15:09
Oct 8, 2018 @ NYI L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 09:15
Oct 5, 2018 @ LAK W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 10:30
Oct 3, 2018 vs ANA L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 08:48