Penguins are the team to watch on the NHL trade front

Of the teams that might be busy this offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be interesting to watch heading into next season.

After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third year in a row (for the first time since before the 2004-05 lockout), there is plenty of chatter that general manager Kyle Dubas might be willing to offload some of its bigger names with big contracts. One name that keeps getting brought up is defenseman Erik Karlsson. The veteran has two more years left on his eight-year deal that he signed with the San Jose Sharks in 2019. The deal has an AAV of $11.5 million with a full no-move clause, but with how poorly things have gone for Karlsson in the Steel City, it’s becoming clear that he wouldn’t mind a change of scenery.

On Wednesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Matt Larkin explain why the Penguins have the chance to be making some moves before autumn.

Matt Larkin: They have chips that I think a lot of teams could use. It’s been the narrative this offseason – they’re the one team that is truly committed to rebuilding and tanking because, of course, the gods are going to give them Gavin McKenna as they do every 20 years. Pittsburgh gets that superstar.

So, I’m looking at Bryan Rust. I’m looking at Rickard Rakell. There are a few teams that still need a top-six forward. If you can make money work, I think Winnipeg does. I think Toronto does. Buffalo is pretty desperate for some kind of veteran help, and Erik Karlsson, to me, is the really intriguing name. He has two years left…if you retain half that salary…he’s a bargain all of a sudden, and there are teams that could use his veteran savvy, his puck-moving ability on the right side.

I really like him for the Detroit Red Wings. That would be an ideal fit. They’re a team that I think wanted to bid on Aaron Ekblad didn’t even get the chance … I think they really badly need that right-shot defenseman. You could have a mentor for your young Swedes on defense, Simon Edvinsson and Axel Sandin Pellikka as well, would be a nice fit with Erik Karlsson there. He just brings something that they need, a bona fide top-four defenseman. So I’d be kicking the tires hard on him if I’m Detroit, who also has a really deep and loaded Prospect pipeline. There’s a really nice fit for a trade there.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…