OTTAWA - Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced today that the club has agreed to terms on a seven-year contract extension with all-star defenceman Erik Karlsson.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that Erik Karlsson’s contract has been extended for seven more years," said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. “Erik is the type of player and person that embodies an Ottawa Senator, and we are confident that on a personal basis, he will quickly become a role model for many of our young Sens fans and a great contributor to our community. We feel strongly that this long-term commitment will be great for both sides. As one of the cornerstones of our franchise, Erik will be a large part of the future success that Senators fans can look forward to.”

Karlsson, 22, has played each of his 216 NHL contests for the Senators after being drafted with the team’s first selection (15th overall) in 2008. In less than three full seasons with Ottawa, Karlsson already ranks third among all-time Senators defencemen in scoring with 149 points (37 goals, 112 assists) while sitting 19th in total points with the franchise.

A native of Landsbro, Sweden, Karlsson established several new personal and Senators franchise bests among defencemen in 2011-12, and represented the club at a second consecutive NHL all-star game on Jan. 29 at Scotiabank Place.

In addition to leading all NHL defencemen in scoring with 78 points (19 goals, 59 assists), Karlsson concluded the 2011-12 campaign ranking third in the league in assists while tying for 10th in points. He also led NHL defencemen with 261 shots on goal (20th overall) and 67 takeaways (12th overall).

Karlsson established new Senators franchise records for team defencemen in assists, points and multi-point contests (21) in 2011-12, which included a new individual game-high four points (two goals, two assists) in a 6-0 Ottawa win at the New York Islanders on Feb. 20. He then recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in a 5-2 Senators home win over the Washington Capitals two nights later to become the first defenceman in franchise history to record seven points over a two-game span. He is one of two all-time Ottawa defencemen (Redden, three times) to register 45 or more points in two or more seasons.

After concluding the most recent season by representing Sweden at the 2012 IIHF World Championship, Karlsson is currently a nominee for the NHL’s Norris Trophy, which will be presented at Wednesday’s NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

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