When someone asks what the biggest NHL Rumor of the offseason is.. two names come to mind. First is Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The hockey world continues to wait to see when he gets traded. Second is San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson.
Those two names change week to week, but as this week comes to a close, Erik Karlsson is the biggest NHL Rumor right now.
NHL Rumors: Is Erik Karlsson Playing His Way Onto A New Team?
Rob Rossi of The Athletic: Rossi writes that it has been a month since the new President of Hockey Operations Kyle Dubas almost acquired Karlsson at the NHL Draft. And many people thought it would have been done by now. Unfortunately, it has not been completed.
As Rossi notes, the Penguins were a surprise candidate in the Karlsson sweepstakes once Dubas arrived in town.
The question is why has the trade not gone through. A couple of reasons for this. One could be the Sharks willingness to trade Karlsson this summer. Two, Karlsson’s desire to play for a specific team. And three, with it being so close to August, hockey operations personnel could be on vacation making the rumour cool off some.
However, here is what we know so far according to Rossi. First, the Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes are the interested parties. But it appears the Penguins are in the clubhouse because of the Penguins heavy pursuit of him. And from those discussions, he wants to be there.
It makes sense too because Dubas wants to keep the Penguins a contender with the leadership group led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. The Fenway Group wants to get this core group another Stanley Cup and Karlsson will definitely make them into a contender.
NHL Rumors: Karlsson, Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Devils, Hamonic, and Top Remaining Free Agents
The question is how the Penguins and Sharks make this deal work. We know the Sharks are only willing to retain a certain amount of salary. While the Penguins and Sharks could be a straight-up trade for the player, you have to guess that a player like Mikael Granlund is going back to San Jose.
Ideally, the Penguins and Sharks get a third team involved which would allow the Penguins to open up more cap space by moving another player out to fit Karlsson’s $11.5 million under the salary cap this year. Once, the salary cap goes up over the next few years, then it looks a little better.
With so many scenarios in play, there is a reason why this Erik Karlsson trade has not happened. Again the Sharks have the leverage here because they do not have to move him now. The Sharks do not have to move him until general manager Mike Grier gets the deal he wants. Similar to when Matt Duchene was traded from Colorado.
The Erik Karlsson rumors are not going away anytime soon. While things have cooled off right now expect them to pick up again closer to the season.