Sharks Took Far Less in Karlsson Trade Than Was Asked of Oilers

The San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, and Pittsburgh Penguins completed a major trade involving Erik Karlsson on Sunday and immediate reactions to the deal were that the Canadiens might have actually done the best in the deal, landing a 2025 second-round draft pick, along with Jeff Petry, Casey DeSmith and prospect Nathan Legare.

Related: Sharks Trade Erik Karlsson to Penguins in Big Deal w/ Canadiens

The Sharks, on the other hand, got very little when you consider what they were rumored to be asking for when the Karlsson trade talk began. Picking up Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund, Jan Ruta, and a 2024 first-round pick. It’s not a terrible return and if the Sharks can turn it into something else during their rebuild, they could ultimately be deemed the winner of the trade.

At the same time, if you look at what was being asked of a team like the Edmonton Oilers when the initial Karlsson buzz was out there, it’s easy to see that the market changed.

Elliotte Friedman noted, “If you go back to a few months ago when they were talking to Edmonton about a Karlsson deal, they were asking for a lot more. They were asking for example, for multiple first-round picks.” He added, “I think is, sometimes you ask, and then the reality sets in about what you can do and I don’t think the San Jose was going to be able to get that kind of return for Karlsson.”

The Oilers Were Never in a Position to Meet the Karlsson Asking Price

If the Sharks were sticking to multiple first-round picks during the 2022-23 season, the Oilers were never going to do that deal, even if there was interest there. That would especially be the case if the Sharks were sticking to the amount of salary they were willing to retain, which was ultimately only $1.5 million on the player.

Friedman noted that the Penguins were willing to take more money than most teams in a Karlsson trade and the combination of taking on $10 million per season for the Oilers and giving up more than one first-rounder probably took them out of the Karlsson running quite early in the trade discussions.

Next: Canadiens Already Working on Trading Re-Acquired Jeff Petry