Tomas Hertl inadvertently tells media what's wrong with Erik Karlsson

Erik Karlsson has been trying to keep a very tight lid on what, exactly, is wrong with him at the moment. The San Jose Sharks defenceman left Saturday's game against Vegas early and did not play in Monday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. All the team would say is that he's dealing with a lower-body injury. There is some hope he will play Thursday night but it's not a guarantee at this point. When asked about the injury Tuesday, Karlsson would not reveal the nature of what he's dealing with.

"It's just one of those (injuries) that most guys get at some point throughout a season and, unfortunately, it just wouldn't let me do what I deemed being necessary to help the team," said Karlsson. "That's why I decided to step away."

However, when reporters asked teammate Tomas Hertl about Karlsson's injury and how it was impacting the team, Hertl had a slip of the tongue it seems.

"It's not great, the groin stuff." Hertl said.

If that is indeed what's wrong with Karlsson, and there's no reason to believe otherwise, it seems he has not been entirely truthful with reporters as he stated the injury was not one he had suffered before. Karlsson has dealt with groin issues in the past. It's entirely possible, however, that the recent injury is somewhat different than the last one.

Karlsson is currently on year two of an eight year contract that pays him an average of $11.5 million per season, making him the fourth highest paid player in the league, and the highest paid blueliner. His last couple of seasons with San Jose have seen his point production drop off from previous years. This season seems even worse as the 30-year-old has just four points, all assists, in 13 games while coming in at a minus-5.

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