The San Jose Sharks and Erik Karlsson are working together on a trade, but where could the superstar land?
After the report that the San Jose Sharks and Erik Karlsson are working together on a trade came out on June 15, the hockey world speculated where the Norris Trophy winner might land.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers seem to have always been sniffing around Karlsson.
Around trade deadline time, it was speculated that the Sharks and Oilers were in a deep discussion involving EK65, but nothing could come to the forefront.
Eventually, the Oilers pivoted and traded for Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm.
The biggest hurdle regarding an EK65 trade is the cap hit. The Sharks must retain some of his $11.5 million cap hit in every trade. That is no different in this situation.
"We know that the Edmonton Oilers are one of those teams in the market also looking to add another top-four defenceman," Darren Dreger said on June 16 on TSN's Off-Season Watch.
There is thought that the Oilers could also be interested in Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce.
The Oilers project to have about five million dollars in cap space this off-season, so a roster piece should be involved in a trade to San Jose.
Florida Panthers
Fresh off a run to the Stanley Cup Final this season, the Florida Panthers might want to bolster their backend.
Players like Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad are who the Panthers look to at the top of their defensive depth chart.
Ekblad is a Calder Trophy winner and a solid defenseman. Two years ago, he finished the season with 57 points in 61 games. The defenseman has been bogged down with injuries throughout his career, however.
Ekblad owns a $7.5 million cap hit and has a no-move clause like Karlsson. A trade involving these two players would mean both parties agree to be traded. Strictly looking at a cap space scenario would mean this trade is more likely.
The Panthers' powerplay in the Stanley Cup Final was atrocious, going 0 for 13. Having a player like Karlsson quarterback that top PP unit could be huge.
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken is about to enter year three of existence, and what better way to celebrate than beating the reigning Stanley Cup Champions by trading with the San Jose Sharks for EK65?
Heading into this off-season, the Kraken is expected to have around $20 million in cap space. That is plenty of room to fit the $11.5 million cap hit of Erik Karlsson.
Vince Dunn was the de facto number-one defenseman and had a career year. Dunn had 64 points in 81 games.
If the San Jose Sharks and the Kraken can come to a deal, then that can push the Kraken to go from playoff contenders to cup contenders.
With an excellent young core in the forward group, adding Karlsson could be precisely what the Kraken need.
Trading Karlsson won't be easy for the San Jose Sharks, but if they can get a quality return for the "to-be" Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, this could jump-start the rebuild process for GM Mike Grier.