Eastern Conference team may pursue Erik Karlsson this summer

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Cooper Godin
June 19, 2023 (8:33)

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Last week, it was revealed that the San Jose Sharks and Erik Karlsson's agent sat down and agreed to work out a potential trade in the coming weeks.

"They're on the same page, that's where they are. Both side met last week, Karlsson's reps from Newport Sports and San Jose management. They came out of that meeting saying 'yes, let's try and get a trade done here.'" TSN's Pierre LeBrun said during Thursday's edition of Insider Trading.

While Karlsson's salary is extremely high at $11.5 million per season for the next four seasons, there will certainly be teams interested in acquiring his services this summer and according to Sportsnet's Jeff Marek, one of those teams may be the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers.

The 33-year-old is coming off the best offensive season we've seen by a defenceman in the last few decades as he put up 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists), 36 penalty minutes and was a minus-26 in 82 games. At the conclusion of the season, he was nominated for the Norris Trophy, which he will likely win for the third time in his career.

Adding Erik Karlsson to a defensive core that includes Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling would form one of the best top-fours in the NHL and help the Florida Panthers keep pace with a very competitive Atlantic Division.

The price to acquire Karlsson won't be cheap and would be even more costly if the Sharks retain a significant portion of his contract. While it's unclear how much it would cost, one would have to assume 2021 first-round pick Mackie Samoskevich would be apart of the package.