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Erik Karlsson Trade Talks Heating Up as Insider Links Division Rival to Blockbuster Deal
NHL insider Frank Seravalli revealed that if the Penguins retain some salary, the division rival Carolina Hurricanes could have some interest in Erik Karlsson.
The Carolina Hurricanes were supposedly interested in acquiring Erik Karlsson this summer, NHL insider Frank Seravalli claimed.
While the Pittsburgh Penguins were searching for trade opportunities for the seasoned defenseman, Carolina became one of the teams that did consider checking into the situation, but held back.
Reportedly, the Hurricanes became less interested because of Pittsburgh's hefty price tag and because of Erik Karlsson's $10 million cap hit, still having two years on it.
Nevertheless, Frank Seravalli does think there can still very much be a trade of Karlsson; however, the Penguins would have to have salary retention.
The Penguins would need to retain around $3 million per year to trade Karlsson
He mentioned that if Pittsburgh can reduce Karlsson's cap hit down to the $7-7.5 million per year range, there would still be those who would take the chance.
He mentioned Carolina had done its due diligence previously on the situation of Karlsson, so they would likely be involved again.
"If they could get him down to that $7-7.5 range for two more seasons, I think there's a team that would certainly take a flyer; I think Carolina was one of those teams that spent time investigating."
- Frank Seravalli
- Frank Seravalli
Instead of pursuing Karlsson, the Hurricanes opted for K'Andre Miller of the New York Rangers, later agreeing to a multi-year contract, the first of its kind for the young defenseman.
Parallel to that, the Penguins' acquisition of defenseman Matt Dumba can only fuel speculations that Karlsson would be traded.
Having four NHL-ready, right-shot blueliners under contract, Pittsburgh might as well be prepping the market for sending out Karlsson if they receive the appropriate return haul and price him accordingly.
Also interested, apparently, are the Maple Leafs and the Red Wings, but salary cap issues remain the largest deterrent.
Pittsburgh would have to have enough salary cap room to justify keeping the contract of Karlsson, which is why a trade becomes more and more likely with each passing day.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 18 | 85 ANSWERS Erik Karlsson Trade Talks Heating Up as Insider Links Division Rival to Blockbuster Deal Will Erik Karlsson be traded to the Carolina Hurricanes? | ||
| Yes | 43 | 50.6 % |
| No | 42 | 49.4 % |
| List of polls | ||