It’s time once again for another round of NHL rumours to start your weekend. The March 3 trade deadline has come and gone, but the talk now shifts to the summer. There were plenty of moves made over a week ago, but some big pieces stayed put. The rumours will fire up after the season as we go towards the NHL Draft and free agency. There was one San Jose Sharks in particular that didn’t get moved. Today’s NHL rumours takes a look again at an Erik Karlsson trade.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Erik Karlsson Trade Talks May Return in Summer
Rumour: The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun gave a post-mortem on the names that didn’t get traded at the deadline. Karlsson’s named was at the top of the LeBrun’s list and was the major name that was rumoured at the deadline. The former Norris Trophy winner will be halfway through his deal after the season.
A very busy deadline period could have been even more chaotic given some of the trade talks involving other players who didn't move. But what about this summer? From Erik Karlsson to J.T. Miller to others, a look ahead:
My latest for @TheAthleticNHL ⤵️https://t.co/SAfUgULkFe— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 8, 2023
San Jose will be rebuilding/re-tooling and general manager Mike Grier will be listening to offers on its superstars. One major hurdle is that Karlsson has an $11.5 million per season cap hit and a full no-trade clause. The veteran defenceman will be represented by Craig Oster of Newport Sports, who made the Matthew Tkachuk deal happen.
Can an Erik Karlsson Trade Happen This Summer?
One wonders how much the Sharks are going to have to eat on the contract in order to make a deal to happen. The Edmonton Oilers kicked the tires on the Swede, but San Jose didn’t want to eat so much salary for so long.
Oster is going try to expand the market for Karlsson, but he has two tasks to make his client happy. The blueliner wants to play for a Stanley Cup contender, but also wants to play in a place where his family will be happy. This summer could be just as wild as the most recent trade deadline and Karlsson may be back in play.
Main photo by: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
