Sportsnet: Frank Serravalle on Sportsnet Radio 650 on San Jose Sharks defender Erik Karlssaon.
** Copy NHLRumors.com
Host: “On the San Jose front, what exactly is going on with Eric Carlson right now?”
Serravalle: Good question. There seems to be some conversation between sharks, and I think it’s best explained by their different levels of interest.
Like, the Carolina Hurricanes have been in the mix and the conversations. They’ll be near the top of interest I think. Along with the Seattle Kraken. You had some kicking in the tires from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some tire kicking from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
And basically what they wanted to make sure of was that Erik Carlsson wasn’t given away for free and just to be able to check the box and say, “Yeah, we asked and the price wasn’t too high for us.”
Now, my understanding is that the San Jose Sharks won’t keep more than 20 percent of Karlsson’s deal, which would put him to about $9.3 million. And look at all the teams in the league now, even if someone is really wise with their money, like the Kraken team. To be able to shell out $9.3 million to this team that really needs to re-sign Vince Dunn and Will Borgne and see through their roster, it becomes really hard to pull off.
And I’ve been saying this forever, it’s one of the most complex transactions, if ever, in NHL history. Which is why I still put the probability of this happening at 10 to 15 percent because there is a lot to jump through.
And the Sharks are one of those teams that, even if they’re bad, feel the need in their own market to have marketable stars to fill their building. I don’t want to say they are more gate-based than other teams, but take a look at the Nashville Predators. Look what they did last weekend. Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Shane and Gustav Nyquist. Like they’re trying to add players even though they might not be a playoff team so they can sell to their fan base and market which is sometimes hot and cold, you have a reason to go in and buy tickets.
And I think sharks very much belong in that category and that’s part of the reason they’re not going to cut their nose off and bite their face off and trade it in for nothing because there’s a certain valuation point that they just think it’s better to keep. And I also understand that, I think from Carlson’s perspective it’s like now or never.
Like, what happens if he comes back next season and has 60 points a year? No body is signing up, even for $9.3 ($1 million), for that. What if he returns to Earth?
Host: “We’ll see. And I’m with you. I wonder if somebody’s going to pull the trigger on him. Is it counting maybe on a team like Carolina doing something with Brett Pesci maybe? Like, does it make sense for them if they could take him off the books or move him and pounce on Carlson?” Does it seem like something has to happen somewhere for someone to be motivated?”
Serravalle: “Just as a side note and parentheses, I don’t get why that makes sense for Carolina at all. Isn’t one of the great theories as to why Carlson is back being Carlson this year because he doesn’t have to play in Brent Burns’ shadow anymore? So why would you go and add him to the same team again? other?
And by the way, if you think about it in terms of Carolina, how awesome would it be for the Sharks to pay $6 or $7 million from your defense core to play?
It’s kind of bananas to think about. It has already been uploaded. The fact is that they managed to add Orlov to the left side. Orlov could go and then Slavin. It’s a crazy, crazy group like one-to-five or one-to-six. I think he’s the best in the league and I don’t think he’s even close.
So can they move on, do they have the flexibility to get out (Brady) Skjei or Pesce or whoever they might have a year left in their deal. Hey, I think if you get the chance to get a talent like Eric Carlson, you do what you can, but still, the amount of loops and the number of loops you can jump through seems like a lot.”