Some of the league's top teams already have a top defenseman and likely don't need or want to add Karlsson and all the contract baggage that comes with him.īoston Bruins - The Bruins have Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm locked into contracts. Vancouver Canucks - Even if Karlsson wanted to go there, where the heck would the Canucks find the cap space? There's no deal that the Canucks could make that would make Grier think twice about picking up the call. The Kings aren't likely to give up any of the key pieces that would interest Grier and Karlsson would come at a premium price for a rival like the Kings. However, it's a division rival, so it's hard to see GM Grier making the trade unless the deal blows him away. There's a lot of young talent there and Karlsson could be the defensive piece Anaheim needs to make the playoffs, especially if the team keeps John Gibson. These are the ones GM Grier doesn't even bring to Karlsson, i.e., they're division rivals.Īnaheim Ducks - The Ducks are intriguing. ![]() The team isn’t good enough to win it all and can't attract the pieces to make it better. What’s more, free agents tend to avoid Winnipeg. Pierre Luc-Dubois looks like he is on his way out, if not this year, then next. Winnipeg Jets - This is probably the only potential Cup contender I will put on this list. Washington Capitals - The Caps are on the downswing, and while the idea of feeding Alexander Ovechkin the pass that helps him break Wayne Gretzky's record might seem appealing, there's not much to this team beyond Ovechkin. If Karlsson leaves, he's headed somewhere where he thinks he has a shot at winning and Philly isn't it. Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers are on the same timeline as the Sharks as in no where near a Cup contender. It's hard to see Karlsson wanting to go somewhere where there's not a clear cut path to the Cup. Nashville Predators - There are a lot of questions in Nashville as Barry Trotz takes the helm. Montreal can't trade Hoffman's inflated contract, which leaves no room for Karlsson. For Sharks fans that remember, there's bad blood between Hoffman and Karlsson that likely didn't dissipate with time. Montreal Canadiens - The Canadiens are locked into a contract with Mike Hoffman for one more year. However, from Karlsson's side of things, it would be tough to approve a trade to a team that did so poorly last season no matter how much Columbus adds this summer. I don't imagine Karlsson wants to move from a team with so much uncertainty to a new team with just as much uncertainty.Ĭhicago Blackhawks - Even when the Blackhawks pull the biggest name off the draft board in Connor Bedard, Chicago won't have enough to entice Karlsson to move to the Windy City.Ĭolumbus Blue Jackets - Columbus recently loaded up, so it's hard to imagine the team is also looking to add Karlsson. These are the kind of trades where Grier says, "How about the (insert team name here)." and Karlsson says, "Thanks, but no thanks."Īrizona Coyotes - Could you picture Karlsson spending the next few years playing in front of crowds of 5,000 fans a night? I don't think any deal could get Karlsson to okay this trade.Ĭalgary Flames - There's a new coach in Calgary and some roster changes that might happen this off season. ![]() Let's take a few of the options off of the board already. So, with all the trade speculation circulating, it's time to look at which teams might be a match for the Norris Trophy finalist defenseman and which ones are looking for love in all the wrong places. According to reports, Karlsson's reps recently met with the Sharks and both sides agreed that the top pairing defenseman wants to play for a contender. Erik Karlsson is on the market, but which teams have a shot, which ones want the defenseman and which ones don't need the help on the blueline? Photo by Tamanna Rumee / UnsplashĮrik Karlsson and the Sharks look like they’re ready to part ways.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |