From everything out there it appears to be down to either the Pittsburgh Penguins or Carolina Hurricanes for Erik Karlsson. It also appears to be in a holding pattern for now
Is the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes down to two teams?@FriedgeHNIC provides the latest. @JamisonCoyle | @asgrimson | #SJSharks | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/W7iMUXBdO2
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 11, 2023
Friedman on NHL Network says he thinks an Erik Karlsson deal will get done to either CAR or PIT, Friedman feels a bit of a poker game is going on, SJ has an idea of what PIT and CAR want to do, just waiting to see if anyone makes a move, does anyone's position change?
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) July 11, 2023
The Carolina Hurricanes are trying to do a number of things right now. They are in on Erik Karlsson, they are in on Vladimir Tarasenko, and they are trying to negotiate Sebastian Aho's extension
Friedman on NHL Network says it's more likely Tarasenko takes a 1-yr deal, bets on himself to play well and sees what happens with the cap next season. Sens, Canes, Sharks are in on him, Panthers have been around as well, Nashville has been in and out.
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) July 11, 2023
Friedman on NHL Network says he thinks Sebastian Aho gets done at around 8x9.5, but he's not sure of the timeline, Canes are still in on Karlsson and Tarasenko, so they're in a bit of a holding pattern right now.
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) July 11, 2023
I think the Penguins are at the point where it is Erik Karlsson or bust for this offseason. There was a lot of hope and excitement heading into the offseason after the front office shake up. An Erik Karlsson trade would certainly justify those feelings. If the team can't get this done then we are looking at another season with a very top heavy team relying on mid-thirties star players to not get hurt or not see their production drop via the aging curve. It would be a bold bet. As of right now the Penguins do not have a third line. They have what feels like a dozen fourth line players, none of which would be able to move up the lineup in case of a top six injury. This is why the Karlsson situation is so important. He is an offensive juggernaut and can help make up for what the bottom six forwards lack.
For now the waiting continues.
Thanks for reading!