After a bunch of rumors and speculation since the middle of last season, the Sharks have finally dealt three-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a three-team deal including the Montreal Canadiens.
In this big trade, the Penguins received Erik Karlsson, forward Dillon Hamaliuk, forward Rem Pitlick, and the Sharks' 2026 third-round pick. The Sharks received forward Mikael Granlund, forward Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta, and the Penguins' 2024 first-round pick. The Canadiens received defenseman Jeff Petry, goalie Casey DeSmith, forward Nathan Legare, and a 2025 second-round pick. The Sharks will also be retaining $1.5 million of Erik Karlsson's contract every year for the remainder of his current contract.
I will primarily focus on who the Sharks received in this deal, Erik Karlsson, and my thoughts on this trade. Erik Karlsson just came off a historic season in which he recorded 101 points and claimed his third Norris Trophy. The Sharks are in a rebuild, and Erik Karlsson wanted to win now. With EK65's large contract, this created a unique scenario where a third team had to step in to make it work for an aging offensive defenseman. During his tenure with the Sharks, Karlsson compiled 52 goals and 191 assists for 243 points in 293 games across five seasons. He goes to a Penguins team who just missed the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons, is still trying to win now, and desperately needed more of a jolt on offense and the power play.
As for the return to the Sharks, it may be a bit underwhelming compared to what the other parties received in this deal, but they are pretty much trade bait with no more than two years left on their current contracts that can be flipped for future assets at either the trade deadline or the offseason. In the meantime, the Sharks' newest players can help mentor the younger players on the Sharks' roster. Mikael Granlund appeared in 79 games and recorded 10 goals and 31 assists for 42 points for the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins last season, which includes five points after he was acquired by the Pens on March 1. In total, Granlund has 145 goals and 339 assists for 484 points in 750 regular-season games for the Penguins, Predators, and Minnesota Wild.
Mike Hoffman recorded 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points in 67 games for the Canadiens last season. In total, Hoffman has 218 goals and 246 assists for 464 points in 679 regular season games for the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and Ottawa Senators and is a six-time 20-goal scorer. Some of you may remember that Hoffman was initially traded to the Sharks from the Senators during the 2018 offseason and was only a member of Team Teal for about an hour before he was flipped to the Panthers for draft picks. This may count as his second stint, but Hoffman will actually have an opportunity to play for the Sharks this time around under different circumstances.
Jan Rutta recorded three goals and six assists for nine points in 56 games for the Penguins this past season and has 15 goals and 55 assists for 70 points in 294 regular-season games for the Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Overall, this was a well-timed and well-executed trade among the Sharks, Penguins, and Canadiens. I'm sad that Erik Karlsson, one of my favorite Sharks players in recent memory, is no longer on Team Teal, and San Jose will be without a proven offensive defenseman since the pre-Dan Boyle era. At the same time, trading Erik Karlsson will free up a lot of cap space for the Sharks to work with for the next three seasons. In addition, Erik Karlsson wasn't in the Sharks' long-term plans, and there's no guarantee that Karlsson can maintain his level of play from last season. The Sharks may have gotten worse ahead of this coming season, but it was best for both sides to move on while EK65's trade value is still high to help accelerate the rebuild.
Source: NHL App
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