Will Erik Karlsson be traded before the NHL Trade Deadline?
The Ottawa Senators may be listening to offers for franchise player Erik Karlsson and their captain and also the chances for him to be traded before the deadline are according to sportsbooks.
Online sportsbook BetOnline is presently offering odds on Karlsson’s fate, together with Yes to being traded at No and +170 at -250.
Why would Ottawa wish to exchange Erik Karlsson?
The Senators are awful this year and are currently last in the Eastern Conference. This is a fall from grace for the Sens, who came within one game of creating the Stanley Cup final last season. The writing appears to be on the wall for Ottawa, which could be close to reconstruct mode after dealing defenseman Dion Phaneuf and his $7-million cap reach the Kings.
The Senators have made efforts to bolster their roster in recent memory by trading for Bobby Ryan and Matt Duchene but it would appear that those acquisitions have blown up in their face (Ryan has 20 points in 39 games and Duchene has 37 points in 58 games this season). Ryan and duchene combine for over $13 million this season.
The Sens’ limit space is tied up with plugs and forwards that were underperforming. With the clock ticking the remainder of Karlsson’s contract (he’s a free agent after the 2018-19 year ), Ottawa may be seeking to put on a king’s ransom in return for arguably the best defenseman in the NHL.
Where can Karlsson be traded?
Pretty much all 30 remaining teams from the NHL would move mountains for Karlsson within their lineup. The Swedish defenseman has a no-trade clause in his contract that states he must list 10 teams on a”no-trade list” As we will not be privy to the groups he recorded, this will be only speculation and teams that may bend to the demands of the Senators will be few and far between (Vegas?) .
The asking price would be enormous for a player of the caliber of Karlsson. Ottawa is expected to be trying to find first-round picks and top-six forward and for its own trading partner to take on Ryan’s albatross of a contract ($7.25 million per year through the 2021-22 season).
Karlsson has made it very clear to the Senators that he won’t be committing a hometown discount when he had been to re-sign with Ottawa, therefore any team contemplating trading for him should go in believing it would need to back up the Brinks truck to lock him up for the foreseeable future.