In this third installment of a four part series, I will examine yet another major addition the Kraken could make to their roster via trade ahead of next season.
Trade Target: Erik Karlsson, RD, San Jose Sharks
Fit with Seattle: Seattle had a strong second season, but their special teams left something to be desired. The penalty kill improved, but the power play was a struggle all year. There's almost no better way to fix that than by adding an elite offensive defenseman like Karlsson. He would be a boon to not only the power play but the team's offensive output as well. In terms of roster fit, he would need to be paired with a strong defender on the left side, so he's probably stapled to Oleksiak. Karlsson would also supplant Schultz as both a RHD and power play quarterback. Some combination of Cale Fleury and Jaycob Megna would fill the Kraken's vacancy at LD on the bottom pair until Ryker Evans is ready. Of the four trade options I'm covering, Karlsson is by far the biggest risk, due to his age, contract term and cap hit, all coupled with an extensive injury history. Whether Seattle ultimately considers a trade for him will depend on whether they feel the potential rewards outweigh those risks.
Making the money work: Karlsson has a mammoth $11.5M cap hit, so fitting him on the roster wouldn't be easy. However there did turn out to be a surprisingly straightforward path for making the math work. Schultz would likely be traded in the event of a Karlsson trade due to positional overlap, and Driedger and Sprong were included in the San Jose deal. Driedger was shipped out mainly to make the money work, but Sprong still has some upside and could thrive in a scoring role higher up in the lineup. I also had San Jose retain $2.5M of Karlsson's cap hit to get it down to $9M. This is in the ballpark of the 18% retention the Sharks were willing to do previously, and at that number they wouldn't be hindered too much as they rebuild. Between the retention and those three departures, the Kraken could fit Karlsson onto the team.
Let me know your thoughts, as always helpful feedback is appreciated. Cheers!
2024 1st round pick is top-10 protected; if it falls within the top-10, San Jose will receive Seattle's 2025 1st round pick instead.
Driedger is there mainly to make the money work, but he would have the opportunity to re-establish himself as a starter and shore up the Sharks' goaltending. Sprong wouldn't be able to make a deserved move up the lineup in Seattle due to their forward depth, but he could in San Jose. If the Sharks don't want Sprong Seattle could replace him with another draft pick. The Kraken have prospects, but their pool is pretty shallow on account of their franchise only being two years old, so the meat of this return is draft pick based, which fits Francis's MO for trades anyway.
Schultz would be supplanted by Karlsson upon his arrival, but still has trade value. I figured New Jersey could use someone like him to replace Severson, help develop Luke Hughes, and hold down the fort until Nemec is ready. However, this could really be any team looking for a solid RHD who can provide some offense.
Devils need someone for the PK, not so much of a use for a offensive Dman with Hamilton and Luke.
Actually I don't mind Schultz at 3RD. Hughes got some PK time in the playoffs iirc and looked pretty good. Siegenthaler-Marino and Bahl-Hughes can be the PK pairs.
The Karlsson trade is going to be far more complex than this. Look how many pieces the Timo trade had, look for more of the same with Karlsson plus a 3rd team.
Actually I don't mind Schultz at 3RD. Hughes got some PK time in the playoffs iirc and looked pretty good. Siegenthaler-Marino and Bahl-Hughes can be the PK pairs.
But it's not as if Luke is known for his D...I'd rather put the focus on the PP as I'd rather Luke be on the PP than Schultz, no?
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
Tintin a aimé ceci.
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