The Carolina Hurricanes may be circling back toward Erik Karlsson, and this time the path could be clearer than before.
Pittsburgh is expected to shift into seller mode before the March 1 trade deadline, and Karlsson stands out as one of the biggest names the Penguins could move. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic said Carolina should be viewed as an early favorite if Pittsburgh decides to open the door on the veteran defenseman.
LeBrun also noted the Hurricanes are likely to renew their pursuit after previously going after John Carlson. As he wrote:
“And I strongly believe the Hurricanes will come calling again on Karlsson once the Penguins decide it’s time to formally open up his trade market, which I suspect won’t be until the new year.”
Karlsson has been productive to start the weekend, leading Pittsburgh with 19 points in 19 games. But any deal would come with a major hurdle: his full no-movement clause.
That gives him the final word on where he goes, if he goes anywhere at all. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has already made clear the team will honor its veteran players’ no-trade and no-move clauses and work with them if a move makes sense for both sides.
While Karlsson’s future is one of the bigger names in the rumor mill, former Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson made headlines for a different reason: he’s tired of the league’s rising trade-request culture. Speaking on ESPN’s Thursday night broadcast, Johnson pointed to Detroit captain Dylan Larkin and didn’t hide his annoyance with players who want out after signing on for the long haul.
“I can’t stand these guys halfway through their contracts … bailing ship and wanting to go for greener pastures.”
Johnson also brought up Matt Duchene’s long trade saga in Colorado, saying Duchene requested a move in 2016 and recalling how the Avalanche leadership group, including Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon, went to Joe Sakic and said, “Get him outta here.”
He added that Larkin isn’t the only case, but made it clear he doesn’t like where the trend is headed.
In Minnesota, Bill Guerin is taking a much calmer approach with Quinn Hughes. The Wild GM said there’s no daily tug-of-war behind the scenes and no sense that the two sides are locked in some dramatic contract battle. Instead, Guerin framed it as a personal decision Hughes has to make in his own time.
“I think everyone imagines we’re having these intense negotiations every single day,” Guerin said. “We don’t talk about it, really.
I think because I’ve been in that spot before, I understand it maybe a little more, it’s not personal. It’s a life decision that he has to make and it’s his decision.
I get it.”
Guerin also said the Wild are not necessarily preparing to move Hughes if an extension doesn’t get done. When asked whether he could keep the star defenseman past the trade deadline without a new deal, Guerin said that was his stance for now, though he left room for things to change over the next few months.
Toronto, meanwhile, is still hunting for help on the blue line, but the market isn’t making life easy. The Maple Leafs want a top-four defenseman who can be part of the core beyond this season, but other teams are not eager to help them dig out of their cap situation.
David Pagnotta has also pointed to Dakota Joshua and Miles Wood as names that could be moved. Dealing players with term on their contracts could give Toronto the room it needs to chase a bigger defensive addition. Even then, any team willing to help solve the Leafs’ salary-cap problem is likely to ask for a premium in return.
In Other News...
Wild Suddenly Have A Goalie Dilemma They Cant Ignore
Filip Gustavssons recovery from offseason hip surgery has quietly become one of the more interesting storylines around the Wild, because his return could arrive just as Kaapo Kahkonen has settled in as the teams starting goaltender. Kahkonen has given Minnesota strong play in the crease this season, which has helped stabilize a position that can swing a teams fortunes quickly.
Gustavsson is expected to be back on the roster once he gets medical clearance, and that creates a real roster question for a club that could use help in other areas. The Wild have not made any decisions, and no trade has been reported, but the possibility of carrying two capable goalies or using Gustavsson as a way to address another need is now part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Could Be Closer To Dylan Larkin Than This Trade Suggests
The 2017 Matt Duchene deal is the kind of trade template that can linger around the league for years, and it has obvious relevance for the Wild if the Detroit Red Wings ever decide to move Dylan Larkin. Colorado used a three-team structure to solve multiple problems at once, and that sort of setup is the cleanest way to navigate a star player with a 10-team no-trade list while also balancing salary concerns and getting the right return.
For Minnesota, the bigger question is whether the current standing of the team changes how much value its draft picks actually carry in a deal like that. A club sitting in a stronger position is not offering the same kind of lottery-ticket asset as one at the bottom of the standings, which can make the market for a player like Larkin more complicated than the headline suggests. The framework may be familiar, but the details are where this one could get interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Staal Return Suddenly Looks Much More Real For Carolina
Jordan Staals return suddenly looks much more real for Carolina after the veteran center was back on the ice in Finland, practicing as he works his way back from a calf injury. For a Hurricanes team that leans heavily on Staals presence down the middle, any sign that he is nearing a comeback carries real weight, especially with the season already producing its share of injury news across the league.
The wider picture around the NHL only adds to the sense of urgency, with Colorado dealing with lower-body injuries to Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, Winnipeg placing Dylan DeMelo on injured reserve, and Minnesota waiting on further evaluation for Brock Faber after a skull fracture. Against that backdrop, Carolina getting closer to having Staal available again would be a meaningful boost, even if the final step in his recovery still has to be cleared. [Read more 🡒]