Ottawa Senators trade star defenseman Erik Karlsson to San Jose for 4 players, 2 draft picks

Erik Karlsson's time with the Ottawa Senators is about to become ancient history.

The All-Star defenseman was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, ending a nine-year career with the Canadian team. The Senators received four players and two draft picks in return, per NHL.com.

Karlsson launched his NHL career with the Senators back in 2008 and had since risen to captain the team. The Swedish player has twice won the Norris Trophy for the NHL's top defenseman and has played in several NHL All-Star games over the years. He also won silver with the Swedish national team at the Olympics back in 2014.

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Forward prospect Francis Perron will join Karlsson on the way to California, while Ottawa received forwards Chris Tierney and Rudolfs Balcers, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, and forward prospect Josh Norris in return. Ottawa will also get San Jose's first-round draft pick in 2019 or 2020 and its second-round pick in 2019.

In a statement, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion called Karlsson's trade an opportunity to "rebuild" with a "faster, younger" team. Meanwhile, Karlsson will join fellow Norris-winner Brent Burns to build a solid defense in San Jose.