Penguins Rumors: 3 Players Most Likely to be Traded for Erik Karlsson

The Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks continue to discuss an Erik Karlsson trade and from the sounds of it, there could be some 'clarity' on the situation this weekend. Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman thinks there's a couple of variables playing into the favor of a deal these next few days, so look out for more news on that once it breaks.

As far as the deal itself goes, there's likely going to be a third team involved, most likely the Anaheim Ducks or Chicago Blackhawks and it's likely the Penguins end up sending players in both directions. As far as trade candidates go, here's three players who are most likely to be involved:

Mikael Granlund

The shifty winger was brought on late in Pittsburgh last season and frankly it didn't work out one bit. His $5 million salary for the next two seasons is a hefty hurdle that Kyle Dubas is trying to get over, the only issue here is the fact the Penguins new GM likes the player. He tried to acquire Granlund a few times in Toronto. Regardless, once this deal goes down, expect to see the 31-year-old versatile forward moved out of the Burgh.

Jeff Petry

Petry is getting up there at 35 years old, and with two seasons left on his deal, there's going to be a sweetener or two included from Dubas and the Penguins. Petry is likely heading to San Jose in this trade so they can plug-and-play a veteran to kill the minutes Karlsson was expected to play. Last season Petry recorded 31 points in 61 games and moving on from him would be strictly financially driven to balance out the books.

Samuel Poulin

The former first-round pick hasn't been able to find his legs on the pro level. At 6-foot-1 he has decent size and last season recorded four goals in 15 AHL games. He hasn't been able to stay healthy and considering Dubas wasn't around when Poulin was drafted, it's a lot easier cutting ties when the history isn't prominent between the GM and young player. Expect to see him as a throw in once the Karlsson sweepstakes decided to end.

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