New NHL Trade Rumors on Penguins' Erik Karlsson, Hurricanes Links amid Pittsburgh's Struggles

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun feels the Carolina Hurricanes will be a likely trade suitor for veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson should the Pittsburgh Penguins shop him this winter.

LeBrun pointed out Friday the Hurricanes were a final candidate in the 2023 race to acquire Karlsson, which ended with the San Jose Sharks trading him to Pittsburgh.

"And I strongly believe the Hurricanes will come calling again on Karlsson once the Penguins decide it's time to formally open up his trade market, which I suspect won't be until the new year," LeBrun reported.

Karlsson will turn 37 in May. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency after playing out the final year of his $11.5 million AAV contract, $1.5 million of which is being paid by the Sharks.

He holds a full no-movement clause on the deal, according to PuckPedia.

Karlsson recorded 66 points (15 goals, 51 assists) in 75 games last season, the highest production total since his 2022-23 Norris Trophy campaign with the Sharks, while helping the Penguins snap a three-year postseason drought.

He has kept that production up with another point-per-game campaign despite frequently rotating defensive partners on a struggling Pittsburgh blue line.

Karlsson currently leads the Penguins with 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) during a 7-10-2 start to the season that has left his team 27th in the NHL standings heading into Friday.

The Hurricanes have started out their Stanley Cup defense by climbing atop the Metropolitan Division standings with a 15-3-2 start to the campaign.

The Canes currently have Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker and Alexander Nikishin playing on the right side of their defense, which has allowed an NHL-low 22 shots against per game so far this season.

The team could theoretically look to offer one of those players to the Penguins in exchange in order to both bolster their trade offer and clear up a spot for Karlsson. Chatfield is also on track to hit unrestricted free agency, while Nikishin is a pending RFA.

The Canes could then hope Karlsson would offer a boost on offense, particularly on the power play, where the team has ranked 14th in the NHL with a 22.7 percent success rate so far this season.

When discussing the potential trade LeBrun brought up the Hurricanes' interest in another offensive defenseman in John Carlson, who was traded to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2026 deadline in exchange for a conditional 2026 or 2027 first-rounder alongside a 2027 third-round pick.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas might hope that deal for Carlson, who was 36 and a pending RFA at the time, will serve as a benchmark as to what his team might get for Karlsson should the franchise shift its focus from trying to make another playoff run with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to stocking up on draft capital instead.