Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman first broke the news that the Edmonton Oilers were interested in Erik Karlsson back in January, saying that legitimate conversations have been had between Edmonton and the San Jose Sharks. At that point, it seemed the Oilers were merely kicking tires, and what could’ve stalled further discussion was the reported ask for the former Norris Trophy winner. It was reported the Sharks wanted three first-round picks and were only willing to retain 18 percent of his contract, which is a small percentage in comparison to his gigantic $11.5 million cap hit for another four years.
Yet, talks have started to heat up again. Edmonton has checked in on many players in the last couple of months, but TSN’s Chris Johnston tweeted on Feb. 11 that the Oilers have re-opened trade discussions with the Sharks for the highly skilled blueliner. Moreover, if general manager (GM) Ken Holland wanted to show his dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that he’s serious about winning, the Sharks’ defender is the biggest name available on the market and would instantly make the team more dangerous.
In order for a deal to work, Holland will have to get very creative to fit Karlsson’s enormous cap hit under the salary cap. However, putting the logistics of a trade aside, let’s talk about Karlsson’s potential fit for the club, and more specifically, his role on the power play. He’s an offensive dynamo, on pace for over 100 points and he’s one of the best passers in the game. Because of that, he’d slide onto the Oilers’ top power play unit, replacing Tyson Barrie as the lone defenceman. That said, Oilers’ hockey analyst and former player Rob Brown isn’t so sure Karlsson’s addition is necessary and expressed concerns that the offensively gifted defender could actually weaken the league’s top power-play unit.
A Karlsson Trade Likely Means Barrie Traded, Would the Power Play Suffer?
If the Oilers were to trade for Karlsson, Barrie and his $4.5 million cap hit seem like the most logical option as one of the pieces heading to San Jose, due to both defencemen having similar skills, although, Karlsson, is the more gifted of the two. Since the 2019-20 campaign, the Oilers have finished with the best power play in the NHL twice, and they’re tops in the league again this season. On that note, Barrie has been a big part of that as the primary blueliner on the top unit since the shortened 2020-21 campaign, where he led all defencemen in the NHL with 48 points.
Barrie deserves some credit because not every defenceman has the ability to quarterback a power play, while also being in sync with some of the best players in the world. One area he excels at is puck distribution. The plays primarily run through McDavid, but the Oilers’ blueliner is superb at placing the puck on his teammates’ sticks at the right spots, and at the right time.
Because of that, Brown spoke on “Inside Sports” about a potential downfall if the Oilers acquired Karlsson and replaced Barrie on the top unit, saying, “If you get Erik Karlsson, automatically he’s going on your first power play unit. Now, Erik Karlsson is going to win the Norris this year, he’s an incredible player. He’s a little bit different than Tyson Barrie. Now, does that fit well into the mess that you already have? Their power play is so good. Do you mess up your power play, by bringing Erik Karlsson in?” He added, “You can go from being 31% down to 28%.”
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Now, I can understand Brown’s point of view. Karlsson is a magician with the puck, but is trading three first-round picks worth the upgrade? Why mess with an already good thing? It’s a valid concern; however, on the other hand, Karlsson thinks the game at an elite level, so much so that he’ll likely end up in the Hall of Fame one day. He’s currently ranked top 25 all-time in points by NHL defencemen, and when his career is over, he’ll likely finish in the top ten.
There would be a little bit of an adjustment period, but there shouldn’t be any reason the Swedish defender couldn’t calibrate easily and help make the top unit power play better than it already is. Imagine icing a unit of all potential 100-point players, like Karlsson, McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman. On top of that, not only could he improve the team on the power play, but think of how much more dangerous he’d make them at 5-on-5, with his stretch passes perfectly landing on the captain’s tape in full stride.
Oilers Will Have to Get Creative to Make Trade for Karlsson Work
The 32-year-old Karlsson has a full no-movement clause in his contract, meaning he has the final say on where he ends up. On that note, he and McDavid were teammates at the All-Star Game on Feb. 4, and the pair connected for a goal. I can’t help but wonder if the two superstars had a friendly chat about what it would be like to play together.
Additionally, Friedman analyzed how Edmonton could make a trade work, saying, “For this to work he has to be about a $6.5 to $7 million player for the Oilers. Now, his salary for the next four years is $11.5 million. So [if] Edmonton is going to do this, they’ll need San Jose to eat about [$4.5 million] to $5 million in that range for the next four seasons.” Karlsson currently leads all NHL defensemen in points (73) and is top ten overall among all players. Bringing in a player of his calibre would be absolutely massive for the Oilers, but it will also take a lot of assets and outside-the-box thinking to get a deal done.
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However, it’s worth noting that Holland has experience making a deal of this magnitude, when he was managing the Detroit Red Wings. In 1999, he traded two first-round picks, and a former first-round player for Chris Chelios and added the veteran defenceman to an already star-studded core and won two Stanley Cups as a result. Holland finds himself in a similar scenario 24 years later, with a chance to bring the NHL’s best offensive defenceman into the fold to gift passes to arguably the best player in the game.
Should the Oilers trade for Karlsson? Why or why not? Have your say in the comments below!
