3 Things To Keep In Mind In An Edmonton Oilers-Erik Karlsson Trade
This Trade Have A Big Effect On Both Teams Salary Cap
The cap hit will be one of the biggest hurdles to get over in an Erik Karlsson to the Edmonton Oilers trade. Karlsson currently has a cap hit of $11.5 million. That amount of money isn’t ideal for either team to pay.
The San Jose Sharks at least have room for him at that price, whereas the Edmonton Oilers can not afford him at the full price. This means that in a trade the San Jose Sharks would need to retain some of that cap hit.
The amount the Sharks retain will depend on how much money the owners want to pay a player that isn’t on the roster and how much the Edmonton Oilers are willing to give up. The Sharks are already paying Brent Burns $2.72 million to play somewhere else. Is the ownership group willing to add another player to that list?
I think the Edmonton Oilers would be willing to pay around $7 million, but obviously, if they can get that number lower then I think they should do it. One way to do that would be to use a third team to take some of the hit. With the contract having 4 years left though I think it isn’t going to involve a third team.
Edmonton Oilers Will Need To Pay To Get Erik Karlsson
Once the Edmonton Oilers figure out how much of the Erik Karlsson wage the Sharks will retain they now have to pay them a lot to bring him to Edmonton. Erik Karlsson is an elite player and that means the Oilers will need to pay an elite price.
It will cost you at least 2 first-round picks at least to get him out of San Jose. That would be the base of the trade. The trade will also involve a couple of players on the roster, I would assume Barrie and Puljujarvi or Yamamoto. On top of that, a good younger player would likely be in play.
Which younger player would it be is a question. Could it be Bouchard, Broberg or Holloway? If I were San Jose I would be interested in any one of those players. They are young but they can play in the NHL. You know at least you are getting a player that is NHL calibre. Another type they may want is an even younger player like Xavier Bourgault or Reid Schaefer.
Holland will have to take a good long look at every one of these players and weigh out the pros and cons before he overpays, but he also will need to pay enough if he wants the player to come to the Edmonton Oilers and not another team.
Erik Karlsson Is What The Edmonton Oilers Players Want
In his, 32 Thoughts Podcast Elliot Friedman made the point that the Edmonton Oilers players would like a player that can skate it out, not just bang it off the glass and out.
From what I understand, one of the things the Oilers players have made very clear is if they make a trade, they want to make sure it’s somebody who can get the puck out of the zone. Not just bang it off the glass, but move it. The Oilers feel they’re a better team when they have that kind of player back there.
If you ask me there aren’t very many defensemen that are better at getting the puck out of their end with control than Erik Karlsson. The fact that this is something that the players want to see puts a little bit of extra weight on the move.
Just like the old saying “happy wife, happy life”, for a GM if your players are happy your life is easier. Just look at the Arizona Coyotes, it seems that there are a few high-end players that are happy to play there, and they all seem to end up being traded away. Ken Holland wants to keep his skilled players, so making moves that make them happy should be high on his list of things to do.
No matter how this Erik Karlsson scenario plays out there is no doubt that if the Edmonton Oilers can bring him in he is going to make this team better. I am just not willing to way over pay for him, a slight overpay I am okay with though.
Next. Making the case against Edmonton Oilers trading Jesse Puljujarvi. dark