The rising salary cap has potentially changed Kyle Dubas' trade plans regarding Erik Karlsson
The salary cap is going up over the next three seasons, which means Kyle Dubas could have an easier time trading Erik Karlsson now that teams can afford more.
The NHL's coming salary cap boom might put Kyle Dubas' plan on fast-forward, or even upgrade it in full.
With that immense allocation of funds on board, the cap soars from $88 million to around $113 million in three years. That's game-changing for teams that need to make moves, like the Penguins.
Dubas has already benefited from accepting undesirable contracts for draft choices, as he did in accepting Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass in July.
St. Louis even offered to give away an extra pick in order to get their own pick back so that they could make an RFA offer sheet for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. It was a masterful move that put the Penguins in demand by cap-strapped teams.
Most teams will have more fiscal room to maneuver to make similar trades next July, though. That's where that cap increase comes in for Dubas on the other front, especially on Karlsson's potential trades.
As more cap room opens up on teams, they won't have to strain so much to take on Karlsson's pricey contract, opening doors to trades for him that might not have previously existed.
With that immense trove of NHL draft choices on board in Pittsburgh, 29 in all in the next three years, plus 15 in higher tiers of rounds two through four, they need more bodies on board to fill it all in.
They need talent, and by trading away Karlsson, they may be able to fix their issues that much quicker.
| POLL | ||
Will Erik Karlsson be traded by the Penguins? | ||
| Yes | 162 | 60 % |
| No | 108 | 40 % |
| List of polls | ||
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