Earl Karlsson trade rumors: 5 teams that should make deal
By David Rouben
Erik Karlsson has somehow become the target of trade rumors. If the Senators are shopping him, these teams should pick up the phone now to make a trade.
Anybody who carries at least a casual interest in hockey knows how special of a player Erik Karlsson is. Not only is he one of the most gifted scoring defensemen of all time, his stick-handling ability and passing are out of this world. And just last year, he dragged the Ottawa Senators all the way to the Conference Finals on a bum leg.
He should be the franchise cornerstone for the Senators, but ever since he ruled out the idea of taking a hometown discount, and the team around him has struggled, his name has popped up in numerous trade rumors.
His performance in the NHL 100 Classic provided a perfect example of why the Senators would be crazy to entertain the idea of trading Karlsson. But as long as Eugene Melnyk lives and breathes, you can never rule out the impossible happening.
As long as the chance of him being traded is greater than zero, teams should be calling Ottawa right this moment. Here are five trade partners that would make the most sense.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs are last on this list because the Senators trading Karlsson to their biggest rivals would be borderline insane. But it wouldn’t be without precedent. In 2016, the Leafs stunned the NHL world by trading their captain Dion Phaneuf to the Senators as part of a nine-player deal. Included in the trade were a slew of prospects and salary dumps.
Phaneuf isn’t in the same stratosphere as Karlsson, but if he could be dealt for Tobias Lindberg and a second-round pick, Karlsson deserves a lot more. He could easily command a high-end prospect, a pick and one of Mitch Marner or William Nylander.
Even though the Leafs are 20-13-1, they’ve gone through a mini crisis. During their three-game losing streak, they have scored a combined total of three goals and have iven up an average of 31 shots. Obviously, missing Auston Matthews and playing all those games on the road have been contributing factors, but their defense has been a problem all season long. And with Matthews out of the lineup, Mike Babcock has resorted to playing safe hockey rather than the up-tempo offense we’ve come to see from them over the past two years.
Karlsson would inject new life into this group, and would bring back that quick style that used to drive opponents nuts. He would have a stable defense partner in Jake Gardiner, since Morgan Rielly and Ron Hainsey have been the only consistent pairing so far, and he would constantly drive the Leafs out of their own zone. It’s highly unlikely that the Sens would willingly strengthen an archrival, but they could be tempted with the right package.