Do you think he would not re-sign in San Jose? However from those you listed, I see Detroit as best fit.

I dont think so. SJ is old team i think he wants to be whit younger team.

They have many young pieces coming up in there so maybe he'll stick up

Vegas are in cap hell. They cant afford EK

I personally feels he ends up in either NYI or ANA/LA

As a Detroit Fan I don't think Detroit is close enough to get EK to sign. For the most part I don't think he cares what city he is in I think winning a cup is much more important. That being said I have to agree with DocArin0 NYI looks like the place for him to sign.

This, Stone's ext eliminated Vegas as a Karlsson option

I think the Flyers might throw their name in here. They have already stated they are looking for a top 4 D man and they have the cap to do it.

The Wild are another team that could sign him. We have a ton of cap space and I think we will trade Jared Spurgeon this offseason, opening up a spot for Karlsson. Probably a lesser name, but still a potential fit.

EK only works for the Hawks if we move Boq or Mitchell as part of a package for a LHD. We're already heavy on the right side.

Anaheim has an internal cap, Doubt they can afford to give Karlsson $11 million per, And LA is already going to pay Doughty $11 million per. No way they can afford Karlsson as well.

While I agree to a degree about LA I think we are getting to an age in hockey where teams pay massive for 4-5 stars and then fill in the gaps with ELC & league min contracts.

I genuinely think this list is ludicrously off base. Let's look at these teams from least to most likely:

1. Vegas - they absolutely are going to be in cap hell next season and with Stone's signing it would take an actual miracle for them to sign Karlsson

2. I'm going to lump Detroit, Chicago, and Florida into this same group because for the life of me I cannot see him signing with a team that's either starting a rebuild or in a perpetual rebuild. He just got out of "never gonna be a contender" hell in Ottawa, why on earth would he sign up for that again?

3. I think that New Jersey is more likely than the last three since they're a little further along in their rebuild and I could almost see it, but the man wants a Cup and I can't see him signing with a team that's currently in 28th place unless they get REAL lucky at the draft.

4. Vancouver and Colorado - maybe? Neither team is particularly great but they've both got a crap ton of picks that they could build with and some cap space. That said, they've also both got a significant UFA and RFA contracts to negotiate this summer & that could very easily demolish what cap space they have.

5. New York or Long Island - I could see either of these being legitimate possibilities for him, but like Vancouver and Colorado they both have a lot of UFA and RFA contracts to negotiate over the summer. They do have a lot of picks available and some cap space, but neither of them have a lot going on at the AHL level & would need to make some good trades to make them the kind of contenders that I strongly suspect Karlsson is going to want.

Additionally, while you say that you think San Jose is an old team and that he'll want to play on a young team you're barking up a foolish tree there. Here's the age averages of the teams you've listed:

1. Colorado - 25 years
2. Florida - 26.4 years
3. New Jersey - 26.5 years
4. Vegas - 26.9 years
5, Chicago - 27 years
6. New York & Vancouver - 27.5 years
7. Long Island - 27.7 years
8. San Jose - 27.9 years
Detroit - 28.9 years

San Jose is more or less on average with the Blackhawks, Canucks, Rangers, and Islanders and within a year of the Knights, Devils and Panthers. The Red Wings are actually older than the Sharks by a full year. There's a single player on the Sharks who dramatically skews their average age: if you take Joe Thornton out of the equation then their average age is 26.5 - younger than all but 2 teams on your list & tied with the Devils for 8th youngest in the league.

I think his signing in SJ is the most likely outcome, especially considering the 8th year that they can offer and that they've been a perennial fixture in the playoffs for a very long time and he could very well be the difference maker in them getting a cup.

I agree whit yours points. Vancouver good fit if he wants to play whit Petterson. I ment that San jose "key players" / "super stars" are old. Vancouver has Petterson and brock and Avalance has Rantanen and Mackinnon. How cares how old our 4th line is?

Oh, no doubt no doubt that both Vancouver and Colorado have some outstanding talent on their team - for my money the Avs have some of the most exciting players under the age of 25 - but I think that the value of a team isn't accurately measured by one or two standout players but by the support that those players get from the rest of the roster. Tampa Bay isn't a juggernaut because of Kucherov, it's a juggernaut because of him and because of how deep their lines are - I mean, their fourth line has put up 68 points this season which is pretty damn impressive.

Regardless of all of that, I'm inclined to think that his two highest priorities are going to be getting paid AND cup chances - and as San Jose can give him that sweet sweet 8th year and has a solid team with real Cup potential that he's already developed good chemistry with, well, I still think it's most likely that he stays put. That said, I wouldn't put money on it at this point and it'll certainly be interesting to see what happens in the off season!

its likely hes stays put, but if Colorado wins draft lottery if i where Karlsson i would sign there