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Erik Karlsson trade buzz grows as $6M paid bonus sets up big Penguins summer move, per Pierre LeBrun
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pierre LeBrun says Erik Karlsson could move after July 1, and Pittsburgh's cap plan just got louder.
Karlsson is 35, a right-shot defender, drafted 15th overall in 2008 by the Ottawa Senators.
His deal runs through 2026-27 at an $11.5 million AAV, with a full no-move clause.
San Jose still retains 13.04 percent, so Pittsburgh carries roughly $10.0 million of the cap charge.
The pressure point is simple. A $6 million signing bonus hits on July 1, and the cash left after that gets easier for another club to stomach.
"This could finally be the offseason where Erik Karlsson moves, especially after his $6 million signing bonus is paid July 1; if GM Kyle Dubas can recoup some assets for Karlsson this summer, I think he will."
- Pierre LeBrun
- Pierre LeBrun
That is why this report matters now, not in July. Dubas needs flexibility more than he needs nostalgia.
Karlsson still drives offense from the blue line. He has 6-38-44 in 60 games, plus a plus-9, and he is still feeding the first pass and the man advantage.
Erik Karlsson still solves a Pittsburgh Penguins problem
A lot of Penguins fans sound split here, and fairly so. They see the cap hit, but they also see how thin this blue line looks without his puck transport.
Moving him would not be about punting talent. It would be about buying room to reshape the middle of the roster.
If Dubas can flip one premium cap slot into two usable NHL pieces, the logic writes itself. That is roster construction, not surrender.
The catch is the clause. Karlsson controls the process, so any market is small before salary even enters the chat.
For the next game, Pittsburgh still needs his exits, his PP1 touches, and his ability to break a forecheck with one pass.
For the summer, this feels like an asset-timing play. Pay the bonus, shrink the real-money burden, then test whether a contender bites.
That is the real tension here, Karlsson may still be useful enough to keep, but expensive enough that Dubas has to listen.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 13|78 ANSWERS Erik Karlsson trade buzz grows as $6M paid bonus sets up big Penguins summer move, per Pierre LeBrun Should Kyle Dubas trade Erik Karlsson after July 1? | ||
| Yes | 25 | 32.1 % |
| No | 53 | 67.9 % |
| List of polls | ||