Erik Karlsson Is Going To The Penguins In A MONSTER Three-Way Trade

The Penguins are re-tooling for one last push at the end of the Crosby-Malkin era here it seems. Karlsson is an obvious upgrade over Jeff Petry, but now it does look like the Penguins are going to absolutely CRATER at the end of this run. 2 more seasons (as of right now) for Sid, three more for Malkin, and 4 more of Karlsson at a cap hit of $10M/year. 

Big nut for Karlsson who did a have a HUGE resurgence last year with 100+ points on his way to a Norris. Penguins are obviously banking on that Karlsson being the norm for the immediate future and not the one who had arguably the worst contract in the NHL the previous 4 years for San Jose. 

Good move for SJ to get that money off their books because even a Norris Trophy year for Karlsson did absolutely nothing for the Sharks who are truly rebuilding for probably the first time in the last 20 years or so. Now they have another first round pick in 2024 to go with their own which will likely be a top 5. They also have a handful of players with expiring contracts who they can probably flip at the deadline for more assets. 

When this run ends for Pittsburgh it is going to be UGLY. They have one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL (most rank them 31st) and limited draft capital to rebuild it. The Pens are one of the oldest teams in the league. Having said all of that...I LOVE the move. Push the chips in and give Crosby and Malkin another chance to make a run. They've earned the right to be competitive until the bitter end and this move helps them do that. Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. Tomorrow, for the Penguins, is going to absolutely fucking suck. Suck hard. Then they'll have to build again. Might as well sign Kane in December on a one-year prove it deal and get all the best guys of the 2010s. Can you imagine a power-play that features Crosby, Malkin, Kane, and Karlsson? I could be the 5th guy on that and pot 25 goals a year.