Erik Karlsson has been the talk of the NHL in recent weeks. The Sharks defenseman, who scored 101 points last season, wants to leave San Jose and the club is trying to trade him.
Among the potential destinations mentioned, the Carolina Hurricanes were intriguing. After all, it hadn’t worked out in San Jose when he was in the company of Brent Burns, and even so, the possibility seemed intriguing.
However, with Tony DeAngelo having just signed a one-year contract with the Canes, we can almost certainly forget about the idea of Karlsson coming to town. There would be far too many right-handed defensemen considering that Burns, Brett Pesce (who is in trade rumors), Dylan Coghlan and Jalen Chatfield are already here.
Hearing #Canes are closing in on an agreement with free agent Tony DeAngelo on a 1-year deal in the $1.6 million range. #LetsGoCanes@DailyFaceoff
– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 24, 2023
So, for the Sharks, a door has probably just closed.
And already there aren’t many for a deal like this, it’s hurting the club.
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So we return to the three other destinations previously mentioned: Pittsburgh (the most likely), Seattle and Toronto.
The Sharks defenseman wants to give himself the best chance of joining the best team possible → https://t.co/dDAwkgNgFj
– DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) July 22, 2023
On the other hand, that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t any other destinations that would make a bit of sense for the defenseman.
Because in reality, a defenseman who just scored 101 points is always going to interest teams, even if not everyone can afford him.
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Today, Frank Seravalli and Jason Gregor chatted a bit about the defender’s situation and came up with an interesting idea: it’s still a long shot, but a return to Ottawa isn’t a completely stupid possibility.
In fact, both pointed out that Karlsson has stated that he spends a good part of his summers in the Ottawa area, and that he really likes it there. What’s more, the Senators still have $5 million and change under the salary cap, and even if they still have to sign Shane Pinto and Egor Sokolov, there’s at least a bit of wiggle room.
Rundown Podcast Ep. 235 ⬇️ Summmmmmertime pod. Talked #sjsharks Erik Karlsson ongoing saga, Arbitration awards, potential buyouts and already doing some offseason homework on next year’s playoff picture.https://t.co/iGbNcdVDlq
– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 24, 2023
While a club like the Penguins doesn’t have a lot of capital to give in return for a guy like Karlsson, the Senators have some quality prospects and a good bank of draft picks.
They’ll have to be creative (as all teams will have to be to acquire Karlsson), but a return to Ottawa doesn’t seem to be completely out of the question in the Swede’s case. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one in the weeks to come.
In bursts
– Speaking of the Senators.
Dominik Kubalik learned of his transfer in a rather original way https://t.co/MgnurHpMjq pic.twitter.com/30akWixb8I
– SwissHabs (@SwissHabs) July 24, 2023
– A new dog for Kaiden Guhle.
Looks like Kaiden Guhle has a new lil pup named Gus 🐶 pic.twitter.com/DEwVciBjaa
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) July 24, 2023
– What do you think?
Debate time: Matthews or Richer?https://t.co/0rmEaw12B7
– RDS (@RDSca) July 24, 2023
– Wow.
Jon Cooper begins the 2023-24 season 20 wins shy of 500 in his career and can become the eighth active head coach to reach the milestone. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/alB9pbC3W1
– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 24, 2023
– A name to watch.
The star reliever is under team control until 2026. https://t.co/2QxCs09wRu
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) July 24, 2023