Erik Karlsson linked to Canadian team in blockbuster trade rumour

Looking at the tragic season that the Pittsburgh Penguins have had, it's hard to remember what the expectations truly were for them coming into the season. The Penguins had just missed playoffs for the first time in 15 years and had massively disappointed fans.

After that season they brought in GM Kyle Dubas, who sent a clear message to the team that he thought they could contend. They brought in elite defenseman Erik Karlsson to help bolster their chances of making playoffs. Fast-forward to the deadline and the Penguins have become major sellers. It seems like they're finally moving on from the Crosby dynasty, and Friedman tried to predict a huge move they could make to gain assets for the future:


This would be a massive move, to reunite Karlsson and his former team, the Ottawa Senators. Karlsson still holds a 10M cap hit until 2026-27, with a modified no-move clause. It would be safe to assume that Karlsson would waive his no-move to go back to Ottawa, but with the state of the Senators they may not end up being a good fit.


Karlsson has made it obvious he would like to go chase a cup so he may have a list of teams that he would waive his clause to go to. A contender would have a hard time taking on his massive cap hit, but teams are getting really crafty with reducing salary for incoming players due to the cap crunch. With the cap going up and possible 75% retention, Karlsson could be an amazing defenseman option for a contender at only 2.5M.

If the Penguins can move Karlsson at the next deadline they can really jumpstart their rebuild. The Penguins have some pieces that other teams would love to trade for and if Kyle Dubas plays his cards right, he could flip Karlsson for more than he acquired him for.