Erik Karlsson's recovery from an offseason operation couldn't keep him away from Oracle Arena.
Karlsson, who had May 31 groin surgery, made an appearance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night. The Sharks defenseman took in the Warriors' 123-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors, rocking crutches and a Jonas Jerebko jersey.
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Jerebko is a fellow Swede, and the two exchanged jerseys on "Warriors Night" when the Sharks beat the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center back on Feb. 16.
The announcement of Karlsson's surgery and the subsequent sight of him on crutches make it clear what the two-time Norris Trophy winner was dealing with during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He clearly was hobbled in his last two games of the postseason -- Games 4 and 5 of the Western Conference final -- against the St. Louis Blues, but he still ended the playoff run tied for second on San Jose with 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in 19 games.
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San Jose Sharks
The timing certainly will interest Sharks fans, since Karlsson can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and that the All-Star has been linked to teams that aren't San Jose. Considering Karlsson's friendship with Jerebko, Jerebko's place on what could become the sixth team to win three consecutive NBA championships and Karlsson's recovery, there probably isn't all that much to read into this regarding the defenseman's pending free agency.
Not that this will stop anyone from doing so, of course.