Kyle Dubas Reveals Pursuit of Erik Karlsson Began As Maple Leafs GM
The Pittsburgh Penguins president and general manager revealed he was after the three-time Norris Trophy winner before leaving Toronto.
Kyle Dubas got his man.
On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins president and general manager acquired defenseman Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team deal with the Montreal Canadiens.
Karlsson, who received his third Norris Trophy after a 101-point season, had been rumored to be in trade discussions for months before the Penguins pulled the trigger on the trade on Sunday.
Dubas admitted on Monday during a news conference with reporters that he had been interested in acquiring the defenseman while he was GM of the Maple Leafs.
"It was a fairly lengthy process that goes back to my previous employment," Dubas admitted. "Even though he's in his early thirties, he continues to be one of the top skaters in the NHL and obviously his offense is quite prolific.
Dubas joined the Pittsburgh organization on June 1 after he was dismissed as general manager of the Maple Leafs on May 19. The Maple Leafs hired Brad Treliving to replace Dubas and the new general manager signed defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year, $4.15 million deal. The addition of an offensive-defenseman like Klingberg negated any need to bring Karlsson in, particularly given his $11.5 million salary cap. The Penguins managed to bring Karlsson in with $1.5 million per year being retained by the San Jose Sharks.
In an interview with Swedish news outlet Expressen last month, the 33-year-old Karlsson revealed that the Penguins, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes were among the teams interested in his services.
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