A major trade announced tomorrow involving defenseman Erik Karlsson and a former Montreal Canadiens player?

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David St-Jean
August 4, 2023 (5:46 PM)

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It's no secret that Erik Karlsson wants to leave the San Jose Sharks. His name has long been in trade rumors, but his hefty annual salary of $11.5 million for another four seasons makes it challenging for GM Mike Grier.

A trade as soon as tomorrow or Sunday?

However, this situation could be resolved soon, as the upcoming days might be favorable for a potential trade. One of the teams linked to Karlsson, the Pittsburgh Penguins, has the opportunity to make a roster move that would free up salary cap space.

The recent signing of Drew O'Connor allows the Penguins' new GM (self-appointed to the position) Kyle Dubas to open a 48-hour window for a contract buyout. Elliotte Friedman recently mentioned that this weekend could be revealing in the Karlsson situation. Even though Dubas is not known for making contract buyouts, it will be interesting to see if he does so this time.

Friedman on NHL Network: "The Penguins settled with Drew O'Connor and that means this weekend they now have a 48 hr buyout window and some potential roster flexibility, Dubas has said he does not like using buyouts, prefers not to do it, we'll see, but I am very curious to see if by the time that buyout window closes, and it closes on Sunday, we have some clarity on Erik Karlsson, I've had a couple of people just say, keep an eye this weekend, there's going to be an attempt to see if this can get closed".

Currently, the Penguins are around $3.216 million over the salary cap according to CapFriendly, which is allowed during the offseason. Dubas now has the opportunity to reduce the salary cap, but the challenge is finding the right player to do it with.

Could it be Ryan Rust (31 years old, $5.125 million/year for another 5 years), Mikael Granlund (31 years old, $5 million/year for another two years), Rickard Rakell (30 years old, $5 million/year for another 5 years), Reilly Smith (32 years old, $5 million/year for another two years), or even Jeff Carter (38 years old, $3.125 million for one more season)?

Afterwards, the Penguins' GM will need to convince Mike Grier to retain a significant portion of Karlsson's salary, and also persuade Jeff Petry, who is rumored to be leaving if the plan works out, to waive his no-trade clause to go to California.

It's going to be quite a puzzle to acquire a 33-year-old defenseman known mostly for his offensive side...