The Pittsburgh Penguins are having a great season. The Penguins are making a surprise run to the playoffs currently, and part of the reason has been the play of Erik Karlsson. Karlsson has had a great season, despite having previously been subject to trade rumors.
Now, the Penguins' general manager, Kyle Dubas, has made clear the future of Erik Karlsson, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN.
Dubas will not be trading away their veteran blueliner, despite him having a $10 million cap hit next year, and being owed a $6 million signing bonus on July 1.
“Look at the way he’s playing. I mean, it’s Erik Karlsson of old. There will be serious interest in Erik Karlsson this summer,” LeBrun explained on Early Trading. “Having said that, I will tell you that I chatted with Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, who is not happy to have Karlsson’s name out there in terms of trade chatter.”
Karlsson is having his best season since joining the Penguins ahead of the 2023-24 season. The 35-year old has found the back of the net 11 times so far this year and added 43 assists.
“He (Dubas) is adamant that Karlsson has been such a great player for them this year, that he views Karlsson as a guy that they will continue to want to retool and put young players around, that he doesn’t see himself wanting to trade him this summer. He wanted to be clear about that with me and to spread the word, I guess, that he doesn’t view Erik Karlsson as a trade chip this summer,” LeBrun continued.
The team has missed the playoffs each of the last three campaigns, but the Penguins are 35-19-16 on the year, which is good for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Karlsson and the Pens return to the ice on Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
