Erik Karlsson Trade Gets Cancelled at the Last Minute

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Julien Trekker
July 12, 2023 (2:02 PM)

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Erik Karlsson has been waiting for a long time to get out of San Jose. Even if he wants to play somewhere else, he was amazing last year and won the Norris Trophy. This complicates things even more for a trade, as his value is only going up.

We got whispers of a canceled trade that would've sent Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Karlsson Almost Ended up in Pittsburgh

On July 1st, Kyle Dubas, who really likes Karlsson, made a great offer to the Sharks for the defenseman.

This was reported by Josh Yohe of The Athletic.

"As I mentioned recently, the Penguins were extremely close to landing Karlsson on July 1st. A deal was close to being completed that morning, which would have rocked the hockey world on what is already a volatile day.

I know Kyle Dubas likes him. A lot. Does that mean the deal happens? Your guess is as good as mine, but there's obviously a real chance that it happens."

This is what almost happened:

To Pittsburgh:
Erik Karlsson
Sharks retain $4.5 million per season for the remaining four years of Karlsson's contract (40 percent)

To San Jose:
Jeff Petry
Penguins' 2024 first-round pick (top-5 protected)
Ty Smith
Samuel Poulin
Penguins' 2025 second-round pick (will upgrade to a first-round pick if Pittsburgh wins either the 2024 or 2025 Stanley Cup, and Karlsson plays at least half of the playoff games in the championship-winning run)

The Penguins would have paid a big price for the defenseman, but with Crosby, Malkin, and Letang aging, now is the time to make these crazy expenses.

It's not Too Late

If this trade didn't work, let's bet that Dubas is working on another offer for Karlsson. He wants to work fast, as other teams are also reportedly interested.

We could see a blockbuster trade happen sooner rather than later.

As seen on Markerzone - Karlsson Almost Traded to Pittsburgh