If the Pittsburgh Penguins can land Erik Karlsson, it'll be a large weight off of the core's shoulders.
So far, through the first offseason with Kyle Dubas as president of hockey operations, the Pittsburgh Penguins have gotten better, but only marginally.
The Penguins are, however, still in on one of the biggest trade targets available in the NHL, and landing Erik Karlsson would add a much needed offensive push.
Bringing Karlsson into the fold would add more than just another superstar name to the roster, however, as his ability could also take a ton of pressure off of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
As the roster currently sits, those three are going to need another over the top season to make the Penguins a playoff team again.
The bottom-six forward group was improved, but mostly with defensive mindset players; it’ll be up to the top-six to bring the scoring punch.
Adding Karlsson doesn’t bring much defense, but he would bring an offensive resume that features a 100-point season.
Obviously, it’s extremely unlikely Karlsson notches 100 points for the second season in a row, but he is sure to put up at least 60 if things go well.
That kind of production would take a huge weight off of the core’s shoulders; Crosby, Malkin, and Letang will be just as driven to produce like they did in 2022-23, but will have a ton of help along the way.
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