Erik Karlsson has spoken to these teams about a trade
Trade rumours are running hot for Norris Trophy defenseman Erik Karlsson.
If the 33 year old is traded, general manager of the Sharks Mike Grier has stated that the team will not retain 50% of Karlsson's salary when a trade happens. Even if the Sharks retain 20% of the Karlsson contract, the potential acquiring teams is still looking at a cap hit of $9.2 million a year. Karlsson is signed for four more years at a cap hit of $11.5 AAV, and has a full no movement clause in his contract so he will have to final sign off on any deal.
Karlsson is back home in Sweden and has won another Golden Puck as Sweden's best hockey player, while there he opened up about the process so far.
Confirmed he's spoken with Pittsburgh, Carolina, Seattle and Toronto -- plus others -- and says "I just want the best chance to get to the best team."
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, Seattle Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs are among the teams Karlsson has spoken to about a potential trade, but any team wanting to take on his contract, will not only have to clear a boatload of cap space, but give up a lot of assets in return.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Erik Karlsson will be traded this summer? | ||
| Yes, he's one of the best defenders in the league | 77 | 37.4 % |
| No, too hard to make it work financially | 79 | 38.3 % |
| There's too much heat for him not to be traded | 50 | 24.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
