Trade Targets: Erik Karlsson’s value may never be higher for San Jose Sharks

Credit: Erik Karlsson (© Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

Half the NHL’s teams have turned the page to the offseason, while another eight will join them in a few days. That means it’s time for Daily Faceoff‘s first Trade Targets board of the offseason.

A few months back, we correctly projected 42 of the Top 50 players who were traded prior to the March 3 Trade Deadline. That isn’t meant to brag, it’s just to say that there was an incredible flurry of action and we were right in the center of it all.

What does the hockey world have in store for an encore? This next trade period might be even more active for a number of reasons, including a weak free agent class and the fact teams may be infused with a substantial salary cap increase for the first time since the pandemic took hold in 2020.

There is no shortage of intrigue. And perhaps what is most interesting are the situations that have yet to play themselves out, with disappointing playoff losses or front office personnel changes that might dictate different paths. Think of new general managers in Pittsburgh, Calgary, Philadelphia, potentially Ottawa and others.

For now, here are 20 names in play to kick off the offseason Trade Targets board, which always seeks to blend a player’s prominence with his likelihood of a trade:

Trade Targets 🎯

1. Erik Karlsson
Right Defense, San Jose Sharks
Age: 32
Stats: 82 GP, 25 G, 76 A, 101 Pts
Contract: 4 more seasons, $11.5 million AAV
Scoop: Only once in NHL history has a reigning Norris Trophy winner been traded in the same summer he’s taken home the award for top defenseman: Doug Harvey (1961) going from Montreal to New York. That goes to show you how rare of a transaction this might be. It’s also incredibly complicated. Karlsson put together one of the best offensive seasons of any defenseman ever, yet his contract makes him difficult to move. Sharks GM Mike Grier acknowledged at locker cleanout day he’s ready to listen again on a Karlsson deal. He’ll have to adjust his asking price and be willing to retain salary. If one is to materialize, this trade always felt like an offseason deal. It may also be now or never, because Karlsson’s value to the Sharks is never going to be higher than it is at this exact moment in time, as the first 100-point defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.

2. Kevin Hayes
Center, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 30
Stats: 81 GP, 18 G, 36 A, 54 Pts
Contract: 3 more seasons, $7.14 million AAV
Scoop: Interim Flyers GM Danny Briere acknowledged in a recent interview on Frankly Speaking that some players simply aren’t fits for the Flyers – either through timeline or with John Tortorella or both. Hayes seems to check a lot of those boxes. Previous Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher made Hayes available prior to the deadline, but it was too complicated of a transaction to pull off in a short period of time. There was definitely interest though. The Hurricanes, Stars, Wild, Red Wings and Blue Jackets were among those to kick tires. He’d be an ideal fit with his hometown Bruins. The Flyers seemed willing to retain salary if need be. Expect them to help facilitate a deal for Hayes.

3. Samuel Girard
Left Defense, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 24
Stats: 76 GP, 6 G, 31 A, 37 Pts
Contract: 4 more seasons, $5 million AAV
Scoop: By no means will the Avs be eager to move Girard, but the math doesn’t work to keep everyone. Colorado is projected to have somewhere around $13 million in salary cap space this summer, but will need to sign upwards of nine players with that cash. Girard would appear to be the odd-man out on the back end. Devon Toews makes a bigger overall impact; Bowen Byram is three years younger and has higher upside. Girard is a clear fourth among Avs defensemen in minutes played. All of that might mean for another team that he could do more with more opportunity. His contract is also a reminder you can never go wrong buying all of the prime years of a player’s career on a long-term deal.

4. Elias Lindholm
Center, Calgary Flames
Age: 28
Stats: 80 GP, 22 G, 42 A, 64 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $4.85 million AAV
Scoop: This was always going to be a big summer of Lindholm in determining his future in Cowtown. He sprinkled a little spicy seasoning on that as the Flames packed up, hesitating in a big way when asked whether he would be interested in re-signing. It’s believed Lindholm is one of at least a handful of players who does not see eye-to-eye with coach Darryl Sutter. There is still a lot to be determined: Is Sutter officially returning as Flames coach? Who will be Calgary’s next GM? And if he isn’t willing to re-sign, is Calgary willing to enter the season without an extension? There would be huge interest in Lindholm, an uber-talented Selke Trophy candidate on a bargain contract for one more year.

5. J.T. Miller
Center/Wing, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 30
Stats: 81 GP, 30 G, 52 A, 82 Pts
Contract: 7 more seasons, $8 million AAV
Scoop: The way Miller closed out the season under new coach Rick Tocchet, it’s easy to envision him in the Canucks’ opening night lineup in October. He posted 41 points in 35 games under Tocchet, who will have no problem managing Miller’s challenging locker room presence. Yet, we know that the Canucks were deep in talks with the Penguins to move Miller before the deadline. Those fizzled and now Pittsburgh’s regime has changed. Has that trade partner evaporated? How much will the Canucks push to move him before his “no-trade” clause kicks in on July 1? They could desperately use the cap flexibility. You have to allow for the possibility in a depressed free agent market that a team will covet Miller enough to make a play.

6. Evgeny Kuznetsov
Center, Washington Capitals
Age: 30
Stats: 81 GP, 12 G, 43 A, 55 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $7.8 million AAV
Scoop: Kuznetsov is among the most intriguing players on the board. His off-ice conduct and suspension for cocaine is well documented. His consistency and compete have been question. But he’s flat out one of the most talented players in the league. No one would blink if Kuznetsov bounced back with another point-per-game type season next year. His name circulated in trade rumors in 2021 and he netted 78 points in 79 games that next season. Because he may also be slowing down, as evidenced by his drop in production, his contract likely will not be easy to move. Trading Kuznetsov would remove most of the veteran Russians in Alex Ovechkin’s lineup and leave him without a primary feeder on the power play. The Caps are expected to explore a multitude of options.

7. Pierre-Luc Dubois
Center, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 24
Stats: 73 GP, 27 G, 36 A, 63 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $6 million AAV
Scoop: This is a massive summer for the Winnipeg Jets. They are a team in transition, likely to turn the page from the Mark Scheifele/Blake Wheeler core officially to Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor. Will Dubois be part of that? He fits the age scheme. He would fill a huge void if Scheifele is gone. But it doesn’t seem like Winnipeg necessarily fits him. Notably, he did not sign a long-term extension with the Jets last summer, and many speculated on comments made by his agent that he says were blown out of proportion that he could one day play for the Canadiens. Nonetheless, Dubois needs a new deal. And this is where the rubber meets the road. Or better yet, where the pen meets paper? We’ll see.

8. One St. Louis Blues Defenseman
Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, Marco Scandella
Scoop: Pick one, anyone, but GM Doug Armstrong is looking to create flexibility on his salary cap by moving one of his higher-priced defensemen. We know Torey Krug isn’t going anywhere, but the rest are up for grabs. Interest seemed to percolate on Parayko around the deadline, but he still has nearly $45 million remaining on his massive contract over the next seven seasons. That’s a big commitment for a big man. Faulk and Leddy have both seen declines in their game. The tough part for Armstrong is all of his top five defensemen have “no-trade” clauses that can be tricky to navigate.

9. Ross Colton
Left Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 26
Stats: 81 GP, 16 G, 16 A, 32 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $1.125 million AAV
Scoop: Colton is due a massive raise and it doesn’t appear that the Lightning have room to pay him. The late-blooming, fourth-round pick who made a dent during Tampa’s 2021 Stanley Cup run also has to cash in. His career earnings total $2.9 million. This is his prime earning time, so a hometown discount likely isn’t in order. Colton has arbitration rights and has established himself as an 18-to-20-goal scorer who can be a consistent contributor on a contending team’s third line. That will make him in-demand for teams who think he can elevate in their lineup. Even if Alex Killorn walks in free agency, Tampa will have less than $10 million to spend to fill out eight roster spots, and will also have to pay Tanner Jeannot.

10. Taylor Hall
Left Wing, Boston Bruins
Age: 31
Stats: 61 GP, 16 G, 20 A, 36 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $6 million AAV
Scoop: Hall has been magnificent for the Bruins in the first-round series against the Panthers, so it’s easy to understand why this feels like a reach. However, CapFriendly would indicate Hall’s cap hit is a luxury the Bruins cannot afford. The complicating factor for Boston is a $4.5 million salary cap overage that will be placed on next year’s books by virtue of the Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci earned performance bonuses. So whatever next year’s cap ends up being, take $4.5 million off the top. Then factor in that they’ll need to sign nearly half of their roster – and might try to keep a trade acquisition like Tyler Bertuzzi – and the dollars get stretched thin in a hurry. Hall has been a playoff beast, but his production at that cap hit is less than ideal. He has a 10-team “no-trade” list.

11. Adam Henrique
Center, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 33
Stats: 62 GP, 22 G, 16 A, 38 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $5.825 million AAV
Scoop: If not for an untimely injury before the trade deadline, it’s likely Henrique’s tenure with the Ducks would have ended in February. Even with the injury, there were a couple teams hovering around Henrique on Deadline Day to see if they could pry him out of Anaheim. Outside of Cam Fowler, Henrique is Pat Verbeek’s easiest or most valuable veteran to move. He plays a responsible game, rarely gets himself in trouble on the ice, and can reliably post a 20-goal season. If he doesn’t get moved this summer, he will be another top trade deadline chip in 2024.

12. Tyler Myers
Right Defense, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 33
Stats: 78 GP, 1 G, 16 A, 17 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $6 million AAV
Scoop: Myers is a trade that might not materialize right at the beginning of the summer – if at all. Keep an eye on the $5 million signing bonus due. The belief is Myers’ bonus is due to be paid in September, shortly before training camp, which would leave him with just $1 million in salary to be paid after that during the course of the regular season. For any team interested acquiring team, there’s little incentive to pick up that tab, when you know the Canucks are on the hook for it. That means a trade could come together shortly after it’s paid, though it also makes him a heck of deadline commodity.

13. Sean Walker
Right Defense, Los Angeles Kings
Age: 28
Stats: 70 GP, 3 G, 10 A, 13 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $2.65 million AAV
Scoop: You can write it in Sharpie and underline it: the Los Angeles Kings are 100 percent, absolutely guaranteed to trade a right-shooting defenseman this summer. They have too many. One GM called LA the “NHL’s right-shot defenseman bullpen.” Their lineup balance is off as a result of the glut, and it’s blocked a path for some to the NHL (Jordan Spence) and forced other players (Sean Durzi) to play on their off-hand side. Add in the fact that Walker was a healthy scratch for four of the Kings’ first five postseason games this spring and it’s easy to see why he might be the one to go.

14. Matt Grzelcyk
Left Defense, Boston Bruins
Age: 29
Stats: 75 GP, 4 G, 22 A, 26 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $3.69 million AAV
Scoop: Tough decisions are ahead for the Bruins, whether they hoist Lord Stanley’s mug after a record-setting regular season or not. The piper will need paying. And the local boy’s time may be running low in Beantown. Grzelcyk has been scratched twice already in this first-round series against Florida. Brandon Carlo would also seem to be in the crosshairs this summer as a $4.1 million defenseman, but his term may make him a little more difficult to move. Grzelcyk’s game is respected around the league and he could be a salary cap casualty on Causeway Street.

15. Alec Martinez
Left Defense, Vegas Golden Knights
Age: 35
Stats: 77 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $5.25 million AAV
Scoop: From jump street, there was always the likelihood that the third year of Martinez’s extension was going to be painful for the Golden Knights. That Martinez was upright and playing this season was a big step in the right direction. There’s no doubt Martinez has veteran savvy and hockey intelligence in spades, but his game has slowed in a significant way that will force Vegas to ask some tough questions this summer. His “no-trade” list drops down to eight teams this summer.

16. Kailer Yamamoto
Right Wing, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 24
Stats: 58 GP, 10 G, 15 A, 25 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $3.1 million AAV
Scoop: Just about every part of this season has been a little bit “off” for Yamamoto. He hasn’t seemed quite right. He’s been dealing with a vestibular system issue, symptoms not all that different than a concussion, for a large chunk of the year, which also kept him out of the lineup in the early part of 2023. When he’s been healthy, Yamamoto can be an impact contributor. He collected 20 goals last season. It’s just that the Oilers will have other players to pay (see: Evan Bouchard) and limited room to make deals, making him potentially expendable.

17. Mikael Granlund
Center/Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 31
Stats: 79 GP, 10 G, 31 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $5 million AAV
Scoop: The Granlund trade was one of the moves that helped put the nail in the coffin of GM Ron Hextall’s tenure in Pittsburgh. One word to describe his stay in the Steel City: Disastrous. Granlund scored a grand total of one goal in 21 games as the Pens missed the playoffs. To be fair, that wasn’t all on him, but he certainly didn’t hold up to his end of the bargain. Now, with two more years left on his deal, his contract will be one for the next GM to clean up – and it might involve the Penguins having to pay to move on from him.

18. Ivan Provorov
Left Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 26
Stats: 82 GP, 6 G, 21 A, 27 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $6.75 million AAV
Scoop: The Flyers will be fielding calls on Provorov this summer, as it has become apparent that there is frustration on both sides – Provorov with his situation, the Flyers with his play. The question is: What is Provorov’s stature in the league? Can he be a No. 1 defenseman? And how do the Flyers view him relative to the rest of the league? Five years ago, Provorov was trending toward being an elite blueliner, numbers right in line with Zach Werenski and others in his same age cohort. That hope has faded a bit, but Provorov has also played on some poor Flyers teams with little support. No guarantee the Flyers move him, but they’re open to the conversation.

19. Logan Stanley
Left Defense, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 24
Stats: 19 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $900,000 AAV
Scoop: It’s hard to envision a path back to Winnipeg for Stanley, the hulking 6-foot-6 blueliner who played sparingly during the regular season and only entered the lineup in the playoffs once Josh Morrissey went out. Some scouts have wondered if Stanley could be the next Jamie Oleksiak as a late-bloomer, but it’s hard to say with any real degree of certainty because of his lack of ice time. The Jets want value in return for Stanley and don’t have interest in giving him away.

20. Kevin Labanc
Right Wing, San Jose Sharks
Age: 27
Stats: 72 GP, 15 G, 18 A, 33 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $4.725 million AAV
Scoop: Labanc finished the season on a bit of a high note, posting five goals in an 11-game stretch in March and early April after what has been a mostly miserable couple seasons. He seems pretty far removed from the 17-goal, 56-point campaign that put him on the radar back in 2018-19. There have been injuries and probably a loss of confidence, but there is probably something worth trading for if the Sharks are willing to get creative.

Next up: Cal Petersen, Los Angeles Kings.

Discover Betano.ca – a premium Sports Betting and Online Casino experience. Offering numerous unique and dynamic betting options along with diverse digital and live casino games, Betano is where The Game Starts Now. 19+. Please play responsibly.

_____

Trade Targets: Erik Karlsson’s value may never be higher for San Jose Sharks

Trade Targets 🎯

Recently by Frank Seravalli