Erik Karlsson raised more than a few eyebrows prior to the start of last season when he said he barely worked out during the summer.

“I do all my conditioning on the ice. I don’t do any conditioning during the summer,” Karlsson told reporters in late August.

That comment created a small firestorm in Ottawa, where several people questioned the off-season dedication of the Senators captain. This summer, however, Karlsson is going in a completely opposite direction by partaking in the most aggressive off-season workout regimen of his NHL career.

“This summer is going to be different than the previous years. I’m going to have a lot of time to work on the things I need to,” Karlsson told TSN 1200. “I started training early this year. And hopefully if I can maintain this it will translate into having a better start and staying healthy throughout the year.”

Karlsson is well aware that his cavalier comment about conditioning last summer didn’t sit well with some, but he said he was forced to take things easy in the summer of 2015.

“I think that comment that I didn’t do anything was obviously not true,” explained Karlsson. “Last summer was a different approach and I did take more time off than I did in previous years. In order to have this summer, I needed to have last summer – where maybe I took half a step back at the beginning of the season.

“Last summer was about letting the body heal and taking some rest. After five or six years of hard training, I felt like my body was starting to break down. And if I wanted to stay healthy for the season, I needed to do that.”

Now, Karlsson is spending the majority of his summer in Ottawa, where he will be working out under the watchful eye of Senators strength and conditioning coach Chris Schwartz. A few weeks ago, Schwartz helped Karlsson map out an off-season workout plan to meet his unique needs.

“I don’t need to be any bigger to do what I need to do,” said Karlsson, who played most of last season at 190 pounds. “But I need to find a way to be as quick as possible, [like] I was when I was 170 pounds.”

He doesn’t want to necessarily add more muscle, but working with Schwartz four times a week – plus another workout on his own – will hopefully allow Karlsson to improve his agility and quickness heading into next season. The 26-year-old blueliner said he’s never felt as good as he does right now at this time of the year.

“Starting this summer, I’m a couple of steps ahead of where I normally am and I’m feeling as fresh as I’ve ever felt at this time of year. And hopefully that’s going to help me push me to take that next step in conditioning.

Karlsson’s commitment to improved conditioning is coming on the heels of his most successful statistical season of his career, where he racked up a league-leading 66 assists – becoming the first defenceman since Bobby Orr to lead the NHL in that category. But the two-time Norris Trophy winner isn’t about to rest on his previous accomplishments.

“There are always things you can do better. I don’t believe you can reach your max or there are things you can’t be doing better,” Karlsson said. “I know there are things I can do better to be a better teammate and player and those are things I’m going to focus on. It’s those small steps that I think I can to help myself.”

After leading the league in assists last season and racking up 82 points, Karlsson was asked if he thought the 100-point plateau was within his reach – a mark that has not been reached by a defenceman since Brian Leetch managed the feat for the New York Rangers in 1991-92.

“I didn’t think it was possible to do what I did last year and, again, I don’t think it’s possible to get 100 points,” Karlsson said. “It’s not something I focus on or I’m trying to do. But I know that if I do the best that I can every day, there’s a chance for everything.”

Karlsson is headed to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 22, where he hopes to secure his third Norris Trophy. He is a finalist alongside Drew Doughty and Brent Burns after it seemed like most of the hockey world was polarized by the Karlsson-Doughty debate this past season.

“I obviously heard about it, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it. That was something that everybody blew up a bit,” Karlsson said of the rivalry with Doughty. “He’s a tremendously good player and there are a lot of things I can learn from him. Whether he’s better or I’m better, I don’t think either of us focuses on that. We’re both doing the same thing, which is trying to be the best we can be. Whatever happens, it’s the right decision. We both had great years.”

Karlsson recently had his first in-person meeting with new Sens head coach Guy Boucher. The pair met for about three hours last month and Karlsson characterized the first encounter with Boucher as “really inspiring.”

“We sat down for a long time and just feeling each other out – who he is and who I am. For my part, it was trying to get him to know me, what I stand for, what I’m trying to do and why I believe in this team so strongly and what we need to do to take that next step,” said Karlsson. “I think what he’s going to bring to the table and what he believes in is going to suit our team really well. I think the guys are really going to buy into what he has in store for us.”