Erik Karlsson's trade out of San Jose is no longer an 'if', but a 'when'. It has come down to two teams, with Carolina and Pittsburgh both in the mix. The three-time Norris-winner, and future Hall-of-Famer won't come cheap, but he is certainly a difference-maker.
Pittsburgh and Carolina
It had already been reported that Pittsburgh was Karlsson's ideal destination, and per super-insider Elliotte Friedman, a bidding war has emerged between them and the Carolina Hurricanes.
"At times I've had people tell me they think it's more likely that Carolina's going to be destination at other times, including the one most recently, I've had people say to me, no, they kind of think it's tipping a little bit towards Pittsburgh"
While Kyle Dubas is aggressive in trying to acquire Karlsson, the Hurricanes have tradeable assets and cap-space, which gives them the ultimate edge.
Story Changing Quickly
Friedman did express how difficult this story has been to cover, as it changes so often.
"That's the thing about the danger about reporting this, that it seems to change from time-to-time"
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Friedman is seldom wrong about this type of stuff, so when he says something, you can bet it'll happen! The winner of the EK65 bidding war will be decided very soon.
Where do you think Karlsson will end up?
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