Hurricanes linked to three-time Norris winner

What will the Carolina Hurricanes do next?

It has already been a successful summer, locking up Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, and adding Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller. But, there is another name circulating rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Here is what NHL Insider Frank Seravalli had to say about a potential Karlsson move:

“Outside of Carolina… it becomes really difficult to… squint and see fits for Erik Karlsson moving forward; Karlsson has made it very clear… he wants to have a chance to win.”

Karlsson, 35, is still one of the better offensive defensemen in hockey, netting 11 goals and over 40 assists in each of the last two seasons. He feels unlikely to recapture his 2022-23 magic, which saw him record 25 goals and 101 points en route to his third Norris Trophy.

But that does not mean he can not help this Hurricanes squad.

Carolina could use another right-shot defenseman along with Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker, even with an impressive core of lefties in Jaccob Slavin, Miller, Alexander Nikishin, and Shayne Gostisbehere still there.

Karlsson could be redundant, as all of those guys are too good to play a seventh defense role. The contract is an issue, too, with Karlsson owed $11.5 million this year and next. 

Still, he has never won a Stanley Cup, and stylistically, he could thrive in this controlled-chaos, man-to-man scheme. The Hurricanes have long struggled to produce goals in the biggest moments, and while Karlsson is a defenseman, he is essentially a second right winger on the ice.

For this to happen, the Penguins would have to eat a significant chunk of Karlsson’s money.

Carolina has over $10.5 million in cap space, and if Pittsburgh is unwilling to take on some of the contract, someone like Chatfield or Gostisbehere (both are unrestricted free agents in 2027) could be dealt.