Florida Panthers & Pittsburgh Penguins Linked to Erik Karlsson Trade

According to Kyle Cushman of The Score, he suggested the Florida Panthers should try to acquire Erik Karlsson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

There's been no shortage of reports Kyle Dubas prefers to move Karlsson ahead of the trade deadline, and the fact remains he'd like to do so without retaining any salary in the trade. That will be the hard part, but there's certainly growing speculation that Karlsson will be on the move before March 7.

Cushman stated the following in his recent article:

The 4 Nations was the first time we saw Karlsson in a playoff environment since 2019. It would be a shame if we didn't get to see him in the postseason at least once more.The Panthers need an impact player on the backend. Dmitry Kulikov, who was good on the third pairing last season, is playing up the lineup in the top four. Karlsson would bump Kulikov back down and replace Aaron Ekblad on the top power-play unit.

Florida would need help to make the salary work. Karlsson is under contract for another two seasons after this year at a $10-million cap hit. The Penguins are currently retaining two players, but both contracts expire at the end of the season. Pittsburgh could retain some on Karlsson if the price was worth it. Karlsson to the Panthers is the longest shot on this list, but it's the most fun trade to imagine.

Karlsson, 34, is signed through the 2026-27 season at $10 million AAV against the Penguins cap, as the San Jose Sharks retained $1.5 million in their deal. Karlsson has recorded 38 points in 56 games so far this season, and would give the Panthers the top-four right-handed defenseman they've been looking for since Brandon Montour left for a hefty raise with the Seattle Kraken.