I still dont know if thats enough for EK.

Poulin, who I love, has meh value right now through his issues, and only has 1 yr left
Blomqvist has played just 2 games in the AHL over 2 seasons, and he let in 4 goals in his single 22-23 game
Ty Smith barely got a look last yr in PIT and isn;t good defensively, (even PIT only gave him a 1 yr deal)
Cap dump Zaitsev

A probable mid to (hopefully for PIT fans) late round 1st and a 2nd TWO drafts away.

Its alot of somewhat broken toys and a couple of good, not great picks for EK and 4 million retained for FOUR years.

It might not be "enough" for EK, but it's the best SJ is going to get. Honestly, I would not buy out Granlund and throw him into the trade or not give up as much. Pittsburgh is the only one offering anything for EK and therefore don't have to offer too much. SJ does not want to hold EK any longer, so they have no leverage. As good as he was last year, he's a cap dump to them.

Sharks should still accept for the picks and longterm cap relief. Zaitzev is a better cap dump option for the Sharks to take on than Granlund or Petry, since he makes less and has 1 year left instead of 2. Not sure the point in including Zaitsev in the trade at all. So Pittsburgh pays less to trade Petry? To get Chicago under 24 roster players?

People have to understand that the EK contract is absolutely miserable. If SJ wants to move him at his highest point, they will need to play ball, or they hold on to him and risk losing him for much less down the road.

The reason PIT got Zaitsev was because Petry won't waive his NMC to go to SJ, so CHI accepts Petry and a 4th for Zaitsev and PIT moves him as part of the Karlsson trade. Lower cap hit, only 1 year left, so it is much better for SJ.

THIS. All I could do was shake my head in disbelief when that contract was issued. Now, SJS has to bite the bullet. THIS is the year to get rid of him, like the return or not; his trade value is likely better now than it will ever be. If SJS can't accept what's available now in trade, then perhaps the only options remaining are to ride out his contract or buy him out at some point (a la OEL and Vancouver). The thing is, EK65's buyout provisions seem even WORSE than OEL's were!

Hawks easily decline. Make that 4th the Pens '26 2nd and the Hawks at least think about it.

How do the Hawks "easily decline"? They get the much better player in the trade, and a 4th rounder for the additional AAV. Zaitsev has zero value.

The contract was miserable for years 1-3, but feels extremely palatable now for the Sharks. Karlsson puts butts in the seats and keeps fans interested. He won't have the same season as last year because he has fewer weapons to work with, but under Quinn he will likely have a season resembling the last. Given how they've deployed him he shouldn't revert to the production from the Boughner era. The Sharks current load management plan also seems to be helping him to avoid injuries.

I don't think it's smart to offload Karlsson for a weak package because 1) the Sharks proved they can lose with him 2) the cap space isn't as valuable to them (they already have enough of it) 3) the cap will jump next season so more teams can afford him.

Im not a PIT or CHI fan, but:

Theres not a huge gulf between them, but 2 big reasons there might be a huge gulf: Petry has 2 years left - Zaitsev 1, and its PIT who NEEDS/WANTS the deal. You're saying Petry has value, but Zaitsev doesn;t but why and to who?

My personal opinions aside, it depends on what your team needs/wants on which is better. Do you want a 36 yr old with more offensive talent for your 2nd pairing for 6.25 for two years or do you want a stay at home/no frills 3rd pairing guy at 4.5mil for 1 year, depends on what your team needs/wants in the next 2 years.

but really it comes down to 2 things: 1. Why would Chicago do it? 2. How badly does PIT need/want to clear some cap? (In some ways they are completely opposite answers, which explains why it would cost PIT so much for a relatively small gap (talent/cap hit/etc...) in a "tunnel vision" view

Good post; thx.

I would love to know why Sharks fans think this contract is good for them? Yes, they have a lot of cap space, but that is because they are rebuilding. How is EK good for a rebuilding team? His value will likely never be higher. Even if the cap goes up next year, EK will be older and likely worse than he was this year, and still with 3 years left at 11.5.

Petry's skill level doesn't play into this from the Hawks perspective. They are still a bottom 5 team in the league next season whether it's Petry or Zaitsev playing 3rd pair. To the Hawks, Petry is a $6.25m cap hit for the next 2 seasons. That takes WAY MORE than a 4th to dump. Hawks easily decline.

At this point last year, the sharks would have needed to include a first to move EK, now they're getting one. They're not going to get a much better offer, especially this year, from anyone else.

Really, I think the Hawks are "in" any trade now, NOT for which aging vet has whatever value, but more for the assets - specifically, picks and/or prospects - that come with them in trade to help the rebuild. Both Zaitsev and Petry will be long gone by the time the Hawks are relevant again. So, it's about maximizing picks and prospects at this stage for the Hawks, and a 4th round pick just doesn't move the needle enough to even bother.

Just my opinion; YMMV, of course.

exactly, so the 2mil difference in cap and extra year is worth alot to them. and the argument about EK isnt too dissimilar...I was just trying to convince Penguin fans, who are the buyers, the ones with the need/wants, that the value of whether a team accepts or not lies with the seller.

Maybe trading Karlsson with $14M retained for a 1st round pick (maybe like 25th overall) plus a bunch of garbage contracts and some B level prospects isn't worth it to the Sharks?

I would say the cap constraint is more of a detriment to the return package than the risk of just letting him play another half to full season. I think you're being too risk averse in your hypothetical asset management here.

Also, I never said the contract is good. Just that many fans like watching him play and management wants veterans around to tutor the young guys. So no need to rush through negotiations to acquire a late 1st, and an expensive one at that.

If you wait until the trade deadline a team may be more willing to trade better assets to acquire him.

Right now the Penguins seem to be the only ones in for him right now. Their fans refuse to trade either of their top two prospects even though they have a bottom 10 pool in the league. I don't know if this reflects how Dubas thinks, but maybe find a team with a deeper pool to trade with if true.