LeBrun Thinks Sharks Will Trade Karlsson by Fall

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun doesn’t think that Erik Karlsson will be with the San Jose Sharks next year.

“He may get dealt, but I think if he does, it happens in June when there’s a little more flexibility,” LeBrun said on the Got Yer Back podcast. “Not just flexibility in the cap, but a little more of an understanding by then between the PA and league where the cap is going in the next few years.”

LeBrun makes a good point about the salary cap because who knows what the maximum cap will be in the next two to three seasons. LeBrun also mentioned on the podcast that San Jose would be willing to retain some salary if Karlsson were to be dealt, the question is, how much?

LeBrun said later on TSN’s Overdrive: “I think he’s traded by next fall.”

LeBrun did have EK65 on the podcast with him, and Karlsson said that if he were to be traded again that he would be better prepared compared to Sept. 2018, when traded rumors dogged him all 2017-18 before the Ottawa Senators dealt him to the San Jose Sharks.

“Now I have a family. I have two kids and a wife and a beautiful home here, and we’re kind of rooted here,” Karlsson said. “So I think that will be the biggest challenge, if anything.”

Now Karlsson stated multiple times that he and his family are happy in San Jose.

“As of right now, I’m happy here, my family likes it here, and you know, I’m feeling good,” Karlsson told LeBrun.

But the fact of the matter is Karlsson wants to win. The Swede has won two Norris trophies and is possibly on his way to winning a third, but he’s never won the Stanley Cup.

And that may not be in San Jose. The Sharks are three years and running out of the playoffs, and double-digit points out this season.

Karlsson does hold a lot of control over a possible trade. When the San Jose Sharks inked his 8-year $92 million contract in Jun. 2019, they included a full no-move clause. Karlsson can choose not to get dealt if he wants to, but…

“I will never sway from that. I want to win,” the 32-year-old proclaimed. “And I think as you get older and you’ve been around for a longer time, you realize that it’s not as easy as it looks, and you’ve got to hit it right at the right time.”

LeBrun feels it is unlikely that Karlsson will get moved by the Mar. 3 Trade Deadline because of his massive contract, but San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier has been listening to teams calling to check in on the situation.

Grier Willing to Trade Karlsson & Meier, but Also Happy to Keep Them

A career season for EK65 is boosting his trade value. Still, with the contract situation as it is, Grier will likely have to retain some salary to pull off an Erik Karlsson trade, regardless if it happens this season or during the off-season.