The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to Erik Karlsson over the last couple of days, or so, stemming from a report by James Murphy at RG.
In the report, Murphy details the conversations between the Maple Leafs and the Penguins regarding a potential deal involving Erik Karlsson. My colleague Thomas Williams did a fantastic job of breaking down the situation. Please check out Williams’ piece if you are so inclined.
The crux of the matter here is that the Maple Leafs’ pursuit of Erik Karlsson, as unrealistic as it may be, does not mesh with Brad Treliving’s promised DNA change.
If anything, adding Erik Karlsson would be doubling down on the idea of a Core Four, Five, Six, or whatever number. Sure, Karlsson has two years remaining on his contract. The cap hit could be knocked down if the Penguins retain salary.
But just how much would Karlsson really boost the Maple Leafs’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup next season? Would Karlsson turn into the type of acquisition Seth Jones turned out to be for the Florida Panthers?
If Treliving is looking to emulate the Seth Jones trade, frankly, Erik Karlsson isn’t the one. There are other Jones-type blue liners out there who could fill the gap. Why not push for Bowen Byram? Wouldn’t Noah Dobson have been a better idea?
The fact is that Karlsson is another high-priced veteran who isn’t guaranteed to step up when it matters most. He had an opportunity to elevate his game by joining Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh and couldn’t make a significant impact.
Unless Treliving gets Karlsson for a bag of pucks and a goalie pads, it’s just not worth the sacrifice to land Karlsson this season.
Karlsson could make sense for Toronto Maple Leafs down the road
Let’s fast-forward two summers from now, when Erik Karlsson is a free agent. Yes, he will be roughly 37. But he’ll be done with his mega-contract and looking to get one more shot at the NHL, that is, if he plans to continue playing.
Assuming Karlsson is healthy enough to be a regular NHL blue liner, he could join the club on a heavily discounted deal. By then, the DNA swap will be complete and the Leafs will have, hopefully, been to a Conference Final at the very least.
At that point, Karlsson could be a complementary piece to boost the Leafs’ chances at winning a Cup or repeating as champions.
Signing Karlsson would only cost the Leafs cap space and it wouldn’t be to a potentially crippling contract. He could be the sort of veteran addition Cup champions make every so often to give a long-time vet a shot at winning a Cup after a long career.
A lot of what I just wrote is rooted in speculation. Perhaps the DNA modification therapy doesn’t work, and Karlsson retires after his current contract expires. But as for now, the best thing the Leafs can do is carefully assess their next moves.
Time is ticking away ever so swiftly in Toronto.