It was reported last week that several clubs, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, were believed to have an interest in Erik Karlsson.
The 35-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman has been the frequent subject of trade speculation stretching back to last season.
The Penguins' acquisition of Matt Dumba from the Dallas Stars last Thursday has some observers wondering if the move foreshadows a possible Karlsson trade.
Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review believes the acquisition of the right-shot Dumba indicates that Karlsson's exit is pending. He also thinks Dumba can be flipped at next year's trade deadline for a draft pick.
The Hockey News’ Kelsey Surmacz also suggested Dumba's addition could set the stage for Karlsson's departure. She noted a lot would have to happen for that to fall into place, including the blueliner waiving his no-movement clause and the Penguins retaining part of their $10-million share of his $11.5 million average annual value.
TSN's Chris Johnston claimed that Karlsson is willing to waive his no-move clause but only for a few teams. Surmacz wondered if the Carolina Hurricanes or the Maple Leafs would be interested, or if a reunion was possible between Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators.
It's been rumored that Karlsson would prefer to join a team that provides him with a shot at winning the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes would be the best bet in that regard. The Leafs are a strong regular-season club, but they've only won two playoff series in the last eight years.
Karlsson maintains a home in the Ottawa area, and the Senators are a young team on the rise. However, they're currently not in a position to help him scratch that Stanley Cup itch.
Turning to the New York Islanders, we noted some recent speculation suggesting they may have had some trade conversations regarding Ilya Sorokin. Stefen Rosner provided a strong rebuttal as to why they wouldn't move their 29-year-old franchise goaltender.
Sorokin's agent, Dan Milstein, wasted no time swatting down the trade conjecture. On Thursday, he reminded everyone that his client has a full no-movement clause. Milstein stated that Sorokin “has never been part of any trade discussions – not at any point.”
Sorokin also weighed in on the issue, telling RG.Org's Sergey Demidov he was surprised how seriously some people took the rumors, despite knowing about his no-trade protection.
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