Sharks Want Three First-Round Picks for Erik Karlsson

According to reports, including one from Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the San Jose Sharks are hoping to get three first-round picks in exchange for defenseman Erik Karlsson if the veteran is willing to waive his no-move clause to join a contender, and if the team elects they’re ready to trade him.

Seravalli notes in a recent article, “This week, the San Jose Sharks reportedly asked for three first-round picks in exchange for Karlsson, with the Sharks willing to retain 18 percent of his contract. That would knock Karlsson down to a roughly $9.4 million salary cap hit.” It’s still a massive cap hit for any team to digest — a deal that Seravalli’s co-worker Matt Larkin calls one of the most complicated in the history of the NHL — but giving up three first-rounders won’t be an easy decision for any team to make.

Karlsson is having a fantastic season. He’s potentially on pace for 100 points as a defenseman, one who many thought had seen his best years pass him by. But, he’s found a resurgence on a not-very-good Sharks club and he’s become a popular name as the NHL heads into the trade deadline on March 3. Seravalli thinks the Ottawa Senators might be one of the few teams that could pull off a trade of this size.

He notes:

There are potential roadblocks in just about every other market you could hypothesize. Would the Seattle Kraken be that aggressive? How about the Columbus Blue Jackets after their expensive summer? Do the Winnipeg Jets need Karlsson with Josh Morrissey’s production? Could the Toronto Maple Leafs fit him in not just this season but beyond as their expensive forward contracts need renewals? What about the Washington Capitals, where John Carlson already runs their power play? None of them are truly perfect fits, and after connecting all of those dots, the next question is: Would Karlsson want to go to any of those places?

And, even if he did, would those places be willing to mortgage their future and take a gamble that what Karlsson is doing this season is something he can repeat? He’s long been known as one of the NHL’s best blueliners, but he’s also 32 years old and has four seasons remaining on his contract after this one.

Even though Seravalli wonders about the Senators, even he isn’t sure it’s a deal that would jump into making. He writes, “One roadblock is the acquisition cost: it doesn’t seem like the Sens would be willing to trade that type of draft capital.”

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