Adding Erik Karlsson would take a ton of weight off of the core of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s been a full month and the Pittsburgh Penguins are still in the cold war over who will acquire three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. The Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly the two teams left standing, but the San Jose Sharks defenseman has said other teams are, or at least were, in the mix. But what has been the hold up with the trade? Karlsson clearly wants out of San Jose and a few teams have shown interest. It seems as if the Sharks are playing hardball with the trade; obviously, the return was going to be big, but according to Frank Seravalli the Sharks aren’t sizing up the player or the cap space they will receive correctly. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3XM4kVR5TU[/embed] “I think the hang up has been a little bit along the same lines of what we heard at the trade deadline,” Seravalli said. “The Sharks are looking for a significant deal and they are not properly valuing the cap space… from getting off of an $11.5 million player.” The Sharks will have to retain on Karlsson’s $11.5 million average annual value contract, but they need to be more lenient with their number. Seravalli believes that the teams still in the mix are approaching the Sharks with offers that are next to nothing. Teams aren’t willing to give up multiple first round picks and the Penguins don’t have much to offer by way of trade assets. The Penguins might have to ship off a highly rated prospect, but it might be worth it in the end. A deal that puts Karlsson in Pittsburgh could absolutely work and the Penguins have even gotten blessings from the locker room leaders. At this point, it’s up to the Sharks to rethink how they view this deal and some knee bending will have to take place on their part. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Breakout Candidates for 2023-24 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-breakout-candidates-2023-24] The Penguins Are One of the Most Improved Teams in NHL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-most-improved-teams-nhl] Drew O'Connor Is Pivotal for the Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/drew-oconnor-pivotal-pittsburgh-penguins] Current Penguins That Could Crack 2026 Olympic Rosters [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-crack-2026-olympics-rosters] Does Jason Spezza Play a Role in Bringing Erik Karlsson to the Penguins? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/jason-spezza-role-bringing-erik-karlsson-pittsburgh-penguins] * undefined * undefined
