Will the San Jose Sharks finally trade Erik Karlsson in the offseason?

Tyler Yaremchuk was joined by Mike McKenna to discuss the possibility of an Erik Karlsson trade this summer on the latest episode of Daily Faceoff Live.

Tyler Yaremchuk: The San Jose Sharks got a new GM in place last year with Mike Grier and they hired David Quinn to be their new head coach. It feels like Quinn is more than a placeholder through the rebuild, it feels like they want to keep him around. I look at this offseason, Mike and there is one question that will dominate the Sharks’ offseason talk. Will they finally move on from Erik Karlsson?

They might be kicking themselves for not taking whatever offer the Oilers gave them at the deadline. Because I felt like the Oilers were the only slam-dunk fit for Erik Karlsson and now with Bouchard and Ekholm they’re probably not in the market. I really wonder what their approach will be for Karlsson and how much they’re willing to retain on him.

Mike McKenna: I think that they need to move Erik Karlsson. If you’re Mike Grier and you can’t get assets for what Karlsson is worth at this point, you’re never going to see it again. He’s coming off of a 100-point season as a defenseman, we haven’t seen that since Brian Leetch in what seems like a century ago at this point. Teams could use his offensive boost but he’s a very strict set of parameters for what you need. He’s not a shutdown guy, he won’t kill penalties, you’re bringing him in to put points up.

Could teams use him? I’m sure, but they have to retain salary or they’re not going to get three first-round picks for him. The San Jose Sharks have a lot of good prospects moving forward, they’re young, you look at Bordeleau, Eklund, Gushkin. It’s pretty good but they still could use more draft picks if you ask me. You gotta move Karlsson to do that. Because you’re not going to get rid of Vlasic with his deal, I don’t think you can move Couture at 34 years old with four more years at $8 million. And Hertl is probably there, so if you’re looking to stockpile and rebuild within the parameters of what’s feasible and has value, Karlsson is your guy.

I don’t think they can do it a year or two from now, it’s going to have to happen this summer. It’s just a question of how much are they willing to retain and who’s out there. Because Karlsson can ultimately say no, I don’t want to go there. That may be the question at the end of it. How badly Karlsson wants to win, is he willing to go to a team in the top half of the league or only teams in the top 10?

And that’s how you’re going to find out how much he really wants to win.

You can watch the rest of the episode here…