Tyler Yaremchuk was joined by Mike McKenna to discuss the possibility of a trade with Erik Karlsson this summer on the latest episode of Daily face-to-face live.
Tyler Yaremchuk: The San Jose Sharks implemented a new general manager last year in Mike Grier and they hired David Quinn as their new head coach. It feels like Quinn is more than a placeholder during the rebuild, it feels like they want to keep him. I’m watching this offseason, Mike, and there’s one question that will dominate the Sharks’ offseason talk. Will they finally leave Erik Karlsson?
They could be kicking themselves for not accepting the offer the Oilers made to them at the deadline. Because I felt like the Oilers were the only perfect fit for Erik Karlsson and now, with Bouchard and Ekholm, they’re probably not in the market. I really wonder what their approach will be for Karlsson and how much they are willing to hold back on him.
Mike McKenna: I think they have to move Erik Karlsson. If you’re Mike Grier and you can’t get assets for what Karlsson is worth at this point, you’ll never see him again. He just finished a 100-point season as a defenseman, we haven’t seen that since Brian Leetch what feels like a century ago at this point. Teams could use his attacking boost, but that’s a very strict set of parameters for what you need. He’s not a stoppage guy, he won’t kill penalties, you bring him in to score points.
Could teams use it? I’m sure, but they have to keep their salary or they won’t get three first-round picks for him. The San Jose Sharks have a lot of good prospects going forward, they’re young, you look at Bordeleau, Eklund, Gushkin. It’s pretty good but they could still use more draft picks if you ask me. You have to move Karlsson to do this. Because you’re not going to get rid of Vlasic with his okay, I don’t think you can move Couture at 34 with four more years at $8 million. And Hertl is probably there, so if you’re looking to stockpile and rebuild within the parameters of what’s doable and has value, Karlsson is your man.
I don’t think they can do it in a year or two, it’s going to have to happen this summer. It’s just a question of how much are they willing to retain and who’s there. Because Karlsson can finally say no, I don’t want to go. That may be the question at the end. How badly does Karlsson want to win, is he ready to join a team from the top half of the league or only top 10 teams?
And that’s how you find out how much he really wants to earn.
You can watch the rest of the episode here…
