A blockbuster deal on the NHL trade front, as reigning Norris trophy winner Erik Karlsson has been dealt from San Jose to Pittsburgh in a 3 team trade.
Full details of the trade are as follows:
- Pittsburgh acquires defenseman Erik Karlsson, forward Rem Pitlick, forward Dillon Hamaliuk and San Jose’s 2026 third-round draft pick.
- San Jose acquires Pittsburgh’s 2024 first-round draft pick (top-10 protected), forward Mikael Granlund, defenseman Jan Rutta and forward Mike Hoffman.
- Montreal acquires Pittsburgh’s 2025 second-round draft pick, defenseman Jeff Petry, goaltender Casey DeSmith and forward Nathan Legare.
In addition to the players and picks, San Jose is retaining $1.5M of Karlsson’s $11.5M AAV, while PIttsburgh is retaining $1.5M of Jeff Petry’s salary for the next two seasons. The 2024 1st round pick from Pittsburgh is also top 10 protected.
Karlsson, 33, registered 101 points in 2022-23, becoming the 6th blue liner to eclipse the 100 point plateau in NHL history. The Swedish defender registered a career high in goals (25), assists (76), points (101) and shooting percentage (12%) en route to his 3rd career Norris trophy.
San Jose, who are now in full fledged rebuild mode, finished well outside the playoff picture last season, with a 22-44-16 record. Good for 60pts and the 4th worst record in the NHL. As such, they had little use for Karlsson and his mammoth contract which still has 4 years remaining with a full no move clause.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh finished just outside the playoff picture in 2022-23 with 91pts. With Crosby (soon to be 36), Evgeni Malkin (37), and Kris Letang (36) all in the homestretch of their careers, new GM Kyle Dubas is hoping that Karlsson can provide one last window to compete for an ageing Penguins roster.
Photo: The AHL. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.