The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly one of the teams who have shown a level of interest in trading for San Jose Sharks superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Apart from the Maple Leafs, the Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes are also the other teams mentioned by LeBrun.

“My understanding is that the Sharks have talked to several teams, among them Toronto, Seattle and Carolina,” LeBrun said. “New Leafs GM Brad Treliving is notorious for wanting to check in when big names are in play, and it could be that that is all he’s done here. Or maybe he’s really intrigued by what Karlsson at a reduced salary could bring to the Leafs’ blue line.”

The Maple Leafs also have other major areas to focus on this offseason, including the situations of Auston Matthews and William Nylander, who each have a year remaining on their current contracts. Matthews is said to be a virtual lock to sign a new deal with the Maple Leafs, while the feeling about Nylander isn't quite the same. Thus, Nylander could be the key that dictates how intense new Toronto general manager Brad Treliving would go after Erik Karlsson.

Erik Karlsson, who just won his third James Norris Memorial Trophy during the 2023 NHL Awards, carries a significant cap hit of $11.5 million until the 2026-27 NHL season.  Although he is one of the greatest defensemen of all time, Karlsson has always carried major injury concerns.

That said, he just played in all 82 games with the Sharks in the 2022-23 season, while also racking up 24 goals and 76 assists.