If scales could speak, the one that will be used at Canadian Tire Centre for Senators medicals Thursday morning would probably accuse Erik Karlsson of being an imposter.

Especially if it is the same scale the slick Swede stepped on when Ottawa drafted him as a 5-foot-10, 157-pounder.

At that time, there were those within the organization who insisted Karlsson wasn't even that big. But that was seven years, two Norris Trophies, at least a couple of inches and almost 40 pounds ago.

"I am massive," Karlsson said with a laugh Wednesday at Eagle Creek, where the Bell/Ottawa Senators Charity Golf Classic was hosted. "This is the biggest physically I've ever been. Now I've just got to find out if it's going to help me or if it's going to pull me down, since I don't know.

"But I feel good. I feel like I'm the same as I used to be before, even though I might have a little bit more pounds. But I think that comes when you turn 25. I think you put them on a little bit easier, so maybe I need to watch what I eat now."

Asked how many more pounds he had added, Karlsson was coy.

"I have a lot of them," he said. "You'll see in the stats sheets when that comes out. We'll see what I weigh in (Thursday)."

Karlsson raised some eyebrows when he told reporters last month he no longer does any training in the summer.

"I do all my conditioning on the ice," he said near the end of August. "My issue has always been keeping weight on and trying to get bigger and stronger, and if I do that throughout the summer as well I can't put any weight on and keep it on during the year."

At that time, Karlsson checked in at 194 pounds, which is 14 more than he's listed on NHL.com. Presumably, he's dropped a couple at the informal skates players have had at Sensplex the past three weeks.

While management and coaches can't be thrilled with the captain and a team leader stating he avoids the weight room during the off-season, the only real concern over Karlsson's added weight has to be whether or not it will affect the speed and quickness that separates him from everyone else in the league.

Even No. 65 himself doesn't have the answer to that one.

"I don't know, because I've never been this heavy before," said Karlsson. "I'm not concerned about it at all. If it comes down to it, I don't think it will be any problems dropping a few pounds for me."

Using a crash diet, apparently.

"I'll just quit eating," Karlsson quipped.

After physical testing at CTC Thursday, Senators will have their first on-ice sessions of camp Friday at Sensplex. Players and coach Dave Cameron are talking of trying to build on last season's historic run down the stretch last season with a strong start out of the gate.

"You sit down with other coaches in the summer at golf tournaments and that, and talk always comes back to hockey," said Cameron. "We talk about with the amount of games and speed of the league and that, if you fall behind you can never get caught up. I think it's very important that we're organized in camp, and we try to think ahead without getting too far ahead of ourselves.You have to give your group some good solid direction and it's something you have to do every day, because if you fall behind, you're not going to get caught up."

Much will depend on the performance of Karlsson, who is expected to be the top scoring NHL defenceman as well as among the league leaders in minutes played again this season.

"Last year was a strain for everybody, I think. But that's the way it is. I had a good summer," he said. "I feel like I know my body well enough to know what I need to do to be prepared for a long year again. That's where I am. I'm looking forward to camp, get things going and get back into game shape for the first game in October.

"I want to play better than I did last year. I want to be more consistent over the course of 82 games, same as everybody else. I don't want to have any major dips."

It might be harder for Karlsson to dip than it used to be - along with the extra pounds, it looks like he's now a little taller than the 6-foot at which he's listed. Is that even possible?

"I wish," he said, grinning. "It's the golf shoes."

Twitter: @sundonib