Only two teams remain in the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes

We've known for several weeks now: Erik Karlsson wants a change of scenery and to be traded to a team with a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

The Sharks are rebuilding, however, thus they are not the right place for him.

Two teams remain in the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes

In this regard, two teams are rumored to be the favorites to acquire him: the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes.



In the case of the Penguins, they don't have cap space available, so Kyle Dubas would have to be very creative to fit Karlsson's salary, even if the San Jose Sharks retain 50% of it.

The likelihood of San Jose retaining that much is very low.

Carolina makes more sense

It will be somewhat easier for the Carolina Hurricanes, who currently have $2.8 million in cap space available. Nevertheless, they would still need to try to send some contracts back to San Jose in the event of a trade between the two clubs.


Just a reminder, Erik Karlsson has a salary cap hit of $11.5 million for the next four seasons. This year, the 6-foot defenseman accumulated 101 points in 82 games.

As seen on BladeOfSteel - Erik Karlsson sweepstakes reportedly down to only two teams