Could the Penguins trade this defenseman during the summer?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are continuing to impress as the 2025-26 season carries on. With their impressive comeback victory against the Boston Bruins on Sunday, they now have a 32-17-14 record and are second in the Metropolitan Division standings with 78 points.
Yet, with the Penguins still being a retooling club, one of their top veterans is being viewed as an off-season trade candidate.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun looked at a few players who have the potential to be traded this off-season. Among the players discussed was Pittsburgh Penguins star defenseman Erik Karlsson.
"Anyway, this could finally be the offseason where Karlsson moves, especially after his $6 million signing bonus is paid July 1. After that, all Karlsson has left on his contract is $1.5 million in base pay for next season. His $11.5 million AAV remains an issue as far as the cap hit, but if the Pittsburgh Penguins were ready to retain half that cap hit, there should be genuine interest," LeBrun wrote.
This is not the first time that Karlsson has been the subject of trade speculation, and it is understandable. With the right-shot defenseman being 35 years old, he may not be a long-term fit on a Penguins club that is more focused on the future.
Karlsson has also had a strong 2025-26 season with the Penguins, so they could get a decent return for him if they moved him this summer. In 58 games this season with the Penguins, he has recorded six goals, 36 assists, 42 points, and a plus-10 rating. With numbers like these, he can still provide good offense from the point.
It will be interesting to see what the Penguins decide to do with Karlsson this off-season from here.