Penguins Rumors: Blockbuster Trade in Pittsburgh Could Involve Erik Karlsson

The Pittsburgh Penguins are underachieving and Kyle Dubas isn't going to stand for it much longer. The president and GM mentioned recently he's going to take January to fully evaluate his roster and could be open to making changes in February, closer to the all-star game.

The Penguins were just embarrassed in Dubas' old barn in Toronto and now sit 13-13-3 on the season, good for being five points back of the last wild card playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Pens have had their fair share of injuries this season and some of their core players aren't performing at the top of their game, including Rickard Rakell who hasn't scored in 17 games this season, despite making $5 million against the cap.

There's also Erik Karlsson, Dubas' first major acquisition in Pittsburgh and there's some rumblings the former Norris trophy winner could be play ahead of March's trade deadline. Pittsburgh Hockey Now's Dan Kingerski dove into some recent comments from Dubas on the team's roster evaluation and feels Karlsson is certainly a player to watch on the trade market:

From this view of the church, it seems the Penguins could indeed trade Erik Karlsson. He’s here to win, and if that’s not going to happen, both sides could find a quick and amicable parting. Dubas could surely recoup the first and second-round picks the Penguins gave up in the deal, if not more, and even come out ahead. However, next summer is the more likely timeframe for that trade because of Karlsson’s salary.

So far in his first 29 games as a Penguin, Karlsson has recorded 21 points. For some reason it's taken the Penguins a very long time to start clicking on the power-play and that's one of the main reasons they haven't won as many games as they'd like to this point in the season.

Karlsson is on the Penguins' books for $10 million per season through the 2026-27 season. The San Jose Sharks are retaining $1.5 million over the span of his contract. Where does Karlsson land? Let us know in the comments.