When Sweden announced its roster for the 4 Nations Faceoff, there was plenty of head-scratching because Erik Karlsson made the roster. He was not having that great of a season on the Pittsburgh Penguins, so the trade from San Jose to Pittsburgh didn’t make sense from the beginning.
Though Karlsson won the Norris Trophy, he did so after Brent Burns was moved out of San Jose to Carolina. When he was dropped at Pittsburgh, it was an identical situation as Kris Letang was there, not to say where he was going to play on the facility play.
Erik Karlsson Will Not Help The Pittsburgh Penguins Goalie Problem
A report from RG Media got here out a couple of “fire sale” coming in Pittsburgh, because the Penguins will once more miss the playoffs. Karlsson has been the subject of trade talks, as GM Kyle Dubas desires to get younger and retool on the fly, similar to what the Washington Capitals are doing.
On the most recent edition of Hot or Not on TSN’s That’s Hockey with Rod Smith and Frankie Corrado, they discuss the play of Erik Karlsson and the worth he’ll potentially get on the trade market, especially if he keeps it up.
Rod Smith: “Erik Karlsson looked pretty good for Sweden night despite two more years with a $10 million cap hit remaining on his deal; a robust tournament could lead on to Karlsson being dealt on the deadline next month, hot or not?”
Frankie Corrado: “Hot, because you place Erik Karlsson in a situation where he’s now fiddling with highly expert players on a superb team, and also you saw the impact that he had. He was great night . He was up and down the ice. He had the puck. He was making things occur. Consider some scoring for Sweden. So, all that being said, if Erik Karlsson is put in the best situation, you may get so much out of him now in Pittsburgh; we all know where that team is headed.
NHL Rumors: The Pittsburgh Penguins Have Some Pieces that Will Draw Interest
They’re not going to make the playoffs. There’s not plenty of skill there. It almost looks like he’s wasting away in a distinct situation than Sidney Crosby because he’s not exactly a legacy player for the Penguins. But for Erik Karlsson, if he can show something here at this tournament, which he has already in a single game, there may very well be teams call and say, we could use something that puts us excessive.
Karlsson continues to have a stellar tournament. He recorded a goal in Sweden’s second game against Finland, and his stock is rising. Again, look what he’s doing with higher players. He continues to be offensive defenseman. Everyone knows his liabilities on defense.
There can be a team that tries to get Karlsson, possibly not on the deadline but within the offseason. Again, it should come right down to how much Pittsburgh retains on his contract, which has two years left at $10 million. Nonetheless, if he’s put in the best situation, he’ll make an amazing addition to a contending team in its Stanley Cup window.”
Have you ever subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s recent and we’re just getting began. Rumor roundups and hot topics from across the league.
