Rumors about Erik Karlsson are taking the NHL by storm.
Now respected expert Chris Johnston sticks out his chin.
– It could be one of the biggest deals ever, he says.
It was last week that somewhat sensational information about Erik Karlsson leaked out in the North American media. The Swede is said to have asked the San Jose Sharks that he wants to be traded this summer – and the team is said to have said that they are more than happy to make it happen.
The expert’s play
And it doesn’t look like it will be a small deal, if it were to go through. Erik Karlsson is coming off a historic season, where he became the first defender to reach 100 points in the league in 30(!) years. Karlsson has proven that he is once again the world’s best defender, and this summer he is the super favorite to win the Norris Trophy, the prize for the league’s best defender.
The information about Erik Karlsson has caused the entire league to drop its jaw. It’s not often a player of that stature – and with that salary – is on the market. And now the respected journalist Chris Johnston sticks his chin out and suggests that it could be a historic trend we will see.
– He will probably be replaced. There is a lot that points to it.. It could be one of the biggest deals we have ever seen. It could be gigantic, he says.
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Great interest
Rumors about Erik Karlsson already existed during the season that just ended, but then no team reached a solution. Karlsson is one of the highest paid players in the league, and it will be a puzzle for interested teams to land him.
– Nobody wants to pay that salary for four years. A year, sure, but not four. But there are solutions. Erik Karlsson wants it, and it is unreasonable for him to stay during a rebuild, says Johnston.
Earlier in the season, the Edmonton Oilers were rumored to be one of the teams interested in Karlsson, and it is something that Johnston also confirms.
– Several teams were interested at the trade deadline last spring. Edmonton was one of the teams, he says.
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