Oilers could take a run at trading for Erik Karlsson in the offseason: report
Erik Karlsson didn’t become a member of the Edmonton Oilers at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline.
But that might not stop the Oilers from taking a run at the blueliner in the offseason.
Edmonton could look to revisit the acquisition of the San Jose Sharks defenceman in the offseason, according to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic.
“The Oilers will surely keep tabs on the blue-line market, but there are those in the organization who see the merits in not making another move now that Ekholm is in the fold,” Nugent-Bowman wrote in a piece published Thursday.
“Looking at the uninspiring list of pending UFAs for right-handed defencemen, it’s not hard to understand the logic there.
“Of course, that doesn’t have to be the only type of player they could covet. Colleague Jeremy Rutherford, for instance, wonders about the Oilers’ potential interest in Colton Parayko, who’s signed until 2030. Though there could be a stylistic fit and Parayko is from St. Albert, the understanding here is the Oilers would prefer to keep their powder dry for a run at Erik Karlsson — likely in June around the draft.”
Karlsson leads all defenders and is seventh overall in league scoring with 78 points (19 goals, 59 assists). He’s the frontrunner for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman — which he also won in 2012 and again in 2015 as a member of the Ottawa Senators.
The 32-year-old, on pace for 103 points, carries a cap hit of $11.5 million for the next four seasons.
Edmonton has a little over $73 million committed to 15 contracts for the 2023-24 season, according to CapFriendly. They have remaining cap space at the deadline.
Though Karlsson won’t join the Oilers for the stretch drive, Edmonton did make two moves ahead of Friday’s deadline.
The Oilers added blueliner Mattias Ekholm in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Tuesday and acquired forward Nick Bjugstad via a swap with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.
Edmonton also moved out winger Jesse Puljujarvi to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Finnish prospect Patrik Puistola earlier in the week.