Nobody expected the elite-level defensemen Erik Karlsson to ever leave the city of Ottawa, where he was drafted and spent many years with, but it happened. Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for draft picks, those draft picks ended up biting San Jose in the butt as the Senators drafted Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris and others.
Now, it appears Karlsson is about to hit the trade market as San Jose is nowhere close to a playoff spot, but Karlsson would enjoy some playoff time as he's stated before.
The main concern is his contract, Karlsson will be earning $11.5 million annually until the year 2027-28, just one million dollars less than what Connor McDavid is earning.
That is quite the asking price, even with 18% retained that is still a contract above $9 million per season that MANY contenders will not even want to think about acquiring. If Karlsson is interested in playoff hockey, he may not be finding it any time soon..
