Much of the chatter leading up to Monday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline has been centered around the fate of Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson. Ottawa has been actively negotiating with teams to move Karlsson, and it appears the Vegas Golden Knights may be one of the favorites to land the all-world defenseman.
According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Golden Knights are making a “serious pitch” to acquire the two-time Norris Trophy winner. The Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators are also believed to be in on the negotiations.
This goes without say, but the Golden Knights would need to ship a pretty significant haul to Ottawa in order to obtain the 27-year-old, as noted by Garrioch in his report.
League sources say the Senators want a massive package in exchange for Karlsson that could include legitimate NHL players, high-end prospects and two first-round picks. If Dorion is going to do this deal the belief in league circles is he’d like to get five to six pieces in return.
The indications are the 27-year-old Karlsson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019, hasn’t let the organization whether he’ll re-sign or not, but if the trade doesn’t happen by the deadline then there’s a good chance it will take place before the NHL draft in June.
There’s no denying just how huge a move this would be for the Golden Knights. Karlsson is one of the very best defensemen (and possibly players) in the NHL and would immediately make Vegas one of the league’s most terrifying teams going into the postseason, if they aren’t already.
Karlsson’s contract runs through the 2018-19 season, so if the Golden Knights were to acquire him, they’d have at least another season with him on the blueline before he commands what will likely be one of the biggest contract extensions in NHL history.
Vegas’ inaugural season has been inconceivably exciting as is, but a Karlsson relocation to the desert might just set the hockey world ablaze.