On Sunday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks agreed to a blockbuster trade that will land superstar defender Erik Karlsson on the same team as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
The trade involves three teams, eight players, and three draft picks.
To Pittsburgh:
- defender Erik Karlsson*
- forward Rem Pitlick
- forward Dillon Hamaliuk
- San Jose’s third-round draft pick in 2026
To San Jose:
- Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 2024
- forward Mikael Granlund
- defender Jan Rutta
- forward Mike Hoffman
To Montreal:
- Pittsburgh’s second-round pick in 2025
- defender Jeff Petry*
- goalie Casey DeSmith
- forward Nathan Lagare
The Sharks will retain $1.5 million of Karlsson’s salary, and Pittsburgh will retain about $1.2 million of Petry’s.
Karlsson, 33, is one of the best offensive defenders of the era. After a few injury-hindered years, he returned to form in 2022-23, scoring 101 points and playing in all 82 games. He’s a power-play leader, he has a well-documented skill for driving play into the offensive zone, and he helps his team convert their chances into actual goals.
Erik Karlsson (traded to Pittsburgh for an as-yet unknown return) is an exceptionally strong driver of offence, a wizard at making sure that offence becomes goals; gives a little of it back defensively. pic.twitter.com/54HGae5j8n
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) August 6, 2023
Karlsson won the 2022-23 Norris Trophy, awarded to the league’s best defender, for the third time in his career.
The deal becomes the first blockbuster for both San Jose GM Mike Grier, hired last summer, and newly minted Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas. On Saturday, the Penguins announced that Dubas, who had been hired as president of hockey operations and interim GM earlier this summer, would become the full-time general manager as well. The team also revealed the hiring of analyst Cam Charron this weekend.
For the aging Penguins, the move means at least one more push for their current aging core of Sidney Crosby (35), Evgeni Malkin (37), and Kris Letang (36). The team missed the 2022-23 playoffs by a single standings point.
Cap Friendly reports that the Montreal Canadiens are now over the salary cap and should have to make a move before the season begins.
