Saying that the GM notes, “Nothing’s imminent.” San Jose Sharks’ interim GM Joe Will is open to discussing all trade options this offseason with teams and will explore the idea of moving Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson if there are teams out there who show interest.
Related: Sharks Open to Trading Erik Karlsson, Had Preliminary Talks With Teams
“I think if you want to get better, you have to discuss it, ” Will told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The GM added, “if he feels such a move would improve the team,” Burns or Karlsson could go and he’s not going to wait for the organization to decide who the new GM is going to be to pull the trigger on a move. He said, “We’re ongoing with as much as we can do right now, pursuing discussions on everything from contracts to the draft to looking at free agents we could perhaps acquire in the summer to potential trades. We do look at it all.”
A trade of either player won’t be easy. Burns has three years left at $8 million per season on his deal. He’s 37 years old and not getting any younger. He also has a three-team trade clause which gives him a lot of say as to where he winds up. There’s no indication he’s looking to leave. Still, he had a decent season with 54 points in 82 games and averaged 26:07 of ice time per night. There will be teams that show interest.
Meanwhile, Karlsson is being paid $11.5 million through the 2026-27 season. He has a full no-movement clause and while he had a great season, that’s a lot of money to invest in someone who may or may not be a difference-maker. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Sharks had held preliminary trade discussions with a couple of other teams about Karlsson.
The Sharks Are Ok If The Players Stay
The trades, if any are made, will be based on the return the Sharks can get by moving either of these two veterans. Will says nothing is off-limits but the organization is also aware of how much both players mean to the city and the team. He notes, “they’re exceptional players and we have a lot of very high-end players. Ideally, we’d like to include everybody in what we’re doing here.”
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