Teams have called Sharks on Karlsson amid career year
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While the San Jose Sharks may be struggling, Erik Karlsson is producing a career-best pace this season and is drawing trade interest, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports.
Karlsson sits seventh in the NHL points race with 13 goals and 55 points this season in 42 games and has a nine-point lead in points among defenceman over Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets.
Complicating any trade, however, is that the veteran blueliner is signed through the 2026-27 season at the NHL's fourth-highest cap hit this season – $11. 5 million.
"Here’s what’s interesting. In November at the GM meetings, Mike Grier – the GM of the Sharks – came out and we asked him about Erik Karlsson and his future and Mike Grier basically announced at that time ‘We would listen’ on Erik Karlsson. And then our question was: Would anyone call given that contract?" LeBrun said Tuesday on Insider Trading. "Well, Karlsson has continued to have a torrid season and what’s happened subsequently – we can confirm that teams have engaged with the San Jose Sharks about what a trade could look like. I still think it’s more likely this waits until the off-season, if at all.
"Karlsson has a full no-move … but the noteworthy aspect here is that teams have called and have talked to San Jose about Erik Karlsson."
The 32-year-old said prior to the season in September he would not be requesting a trade out of San Jose.
"No, I committed here a long time ago. It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to early on. There’s a lot of things that probably played into that. I’m not going to get into details about that," Karlsson told The Athletic. "But I am excited for the future here now. I hope we can move in the direction to be successful again. Is that going to be this year? I mean, who knows? But I do think something good can come out of here."
Acquired by the Sharks in a trade from the Ottawa Senators in 2018, Karlsson has already set new highs in goals and points in a season since joining the Sharks. He's on pace for 25 goals and 107 points this season, which would blow past his career-best totals of 21 goals - set with the Senators in 2014-15 - and 82 points achieved with Ottawa a year later in 2015-16.
Karlsson's individual success has not been reflected in the results for the Sharks, who are staring down missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year with a 13-21-8 through 42 games.
San Jose would have the fifth-best odds in the draft lottery if the season ended today at 8.5 per cent.