Penguins' best trade of this season is the one they didn't make

It's not clear exactly why the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't trade Erik Karlsson over the summer.

But right now, one of the NHL's surprise teams is glad they didn't do so.

Karlsson has turned his tenure with the Penguins around with a great season. A roster full of older players finding their stride again has put Pittsburgh in a great position, and Karlsson is a key part of that.

The Athletic's Josh Yohe wrote more about this in a new article where he explored what has gone better for Karlsson while also discussing what has gone poorly for Kris Letang. It's the commutative property of defensemen, apparently.

“Karlsson is the good news," Yohe writes. "His first two seasons in Pittsburgh could only be described as a massive disappointment. His defense was atrocious at times. His play with the puck was good, but hardly as dominant as the Penguins were expecting when they traded for him. It was widely believed that Pittsburgh president/general manager Kyle Dubas would try to move Karlsson for anything he could get last summer. He did not.”

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And in summary?

“Karlsson is one of the NHL’s best players right now," Yohe wrote. "That’s not hyperbole.”

Karlsson has 16 points in his last 10 games, including 11 assists and five goals.

He has gone from being a trade possibility himself to potentially turning Letang into the guy the Penguins will have to consider trading.

It's quite the turnaround, but those in Pittsburgh aren't complaining. They're just glad to still have Karlsson around.

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