Back in 2023 when San Jose was looking to move Erik Karlsson, most insiders would agree it came down to Pittsburgh and Carolina as the two finalists. It ended up being the Penguins as Karlsson’s eventual direction back then, could the Hurricanes circle back and make it happen a few years later?
TSN/The Athletic’s LeBrun said he “strongly believe(s) the Hurricanes will come calling again on Karlsson once the Penguins decide it’s time to formally open up his trade market”.
LeBrun cited Carolina’s interest last summer in veteran right-handed defenseman John Carlson – who ultimately opted to since with Tampa as some evidence that they would be interested in acquiring a player in the mold of Karlsson.
But don’t expect the team to lose a couple more games and fold the tent immediately.
The Penguins and Karlsson’s camp, led by power-broker agent Craig Oster, will likely convene sometime in January and figure out next steps. There’s been strong communication between the sides throughout, and Dubas has a lot of respect for Karlsson, so there’s no question this will be handled in an orderly way.
Ultimately, Karlsson can call the shots since he has a full no movement clause in his contract. If he doesn’t want to go to Carolina – which some players have not wanted to go to – then he doesn’t have to do so. Karlsson has made no secret of his desire to win a Stanley Cup and the Hurricanes won it last year and have a 14-3-2 record to start this current season.
One other issue might be just what the Penguins can get back from Carolina. The Canes are known as a stingy and very measured trading partner. They were able to acquire Jake Guentzel from Pittsburgh without even giving up a future first round draft pick. Carolina also wasn’t looking to pay a big trade cost from the Sharks for Karlsson back in 2023. The Hurricanes have all their draft picks in the coming years (and an extra first in 2028 from Dallas), whether or not the Pens could bring back much quality remains to be seen, if it even exists at all since the Carolina draft picks will likely be very late in the round.
This surely won’t be the last rumblings heard about Karlsson this season, and with the trade deadline out at March 1st and a potential meeting with Karlsson’s agents not happening until after the new year, there will be plenty more time to see how things sort out. The on-ice fit between Carolina and Karlsson makes a lot of sense, time will tell if unlike in 2023 that transaction gets sorted all the way out this time around.
