For those of you who are on X or TikTok, I recommend following an influencer named Mike Bartner (even though he is an Islanders fan). Seriously, he makes some great content. The other day he posted a video on TikTok where he advocated for the Carolina Hurricanes to trade for Penguins defender Erik Karlsson. This article will break down the video and I will offer my opinion as well.
As all Pens fans know, the Erik Karlsson contract is a massive thorn in GM Kyle Dubas' side. The Penguins are on the hook for a cap hit of $10 million each of the next two years. Because of this massive contract and his declining play, I think it would be a miracle if a team wanted to acquire him, even with significant retention on the Penguins end.
However, Mike says that if the Penguins retained only $3 million, he thinks the Hurricanes would be more than willing to offer a 2026 first-round pick and a second-tier prospect for Karlsson. Personally if I were Kyle Dubas and I was offered a package of a Dallas 2026 1st and a prospect like Dominik Badinka, I would immediately say yes.
However, there is another player Mike Bartner wants to see the Canes attach to this trade and that is Jesperi Kotkaniemi. I do have a massive issue with this portion of the trade. Kotkaniemi is only 24 and a former 3rd overall pick which sounds enticing; however, he is also signed to a deal that pays him $4.82 million until 2030.
Kotkaniemi has not lived up to his substantial contract, and having a guy on the roster draining nearly $5 million until the next decade is not a smart move. I would love to see the Penguins acquire an additional prospect instead of Kotkaniemi.
The main reason I am writing this article is to express my shock that there is a potential market for Karlsson. I thought the Penguins would have to attach draft capital to move off the Karlsson deal or even if they retained on the deal, they would not get much in return. The fact that people think Karlsson is worth a first-round pick surprises me. I also now think the Penguins should try and trade Karlsson in the coming weeks, while teams may be overreacting to the end of their season.