Erik Karlsson was almost traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the NHL Draft back in June, but after the deal fell through for Kyle Dubas, the stalemate continues for one of the game's premier defensemen.

The three-time Norris Trophy winning blueliner has continued to be pursued by the Penguins GM, and according to The Athletic's Rob Rossi, “several people within the organization are confident Karlsson prefers to be traded to the Penguins.”

It was recently reported that Karlsson was down to his last two teams: the Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams have been granted permission to speak directly with him, and the Pens have had multiple people in the organization, including players, reach out to him.

Still, it seems nothing has materialized between the Sharks and Kyle Dubas' team. That doesn't mean that a trade won't get completed, it just doesn't seem to be a priority at the end of July for either franchise.

It does seem like a Karlsson trade to the Penguins is a matter of when, not if, especially as superstars Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have both endorsed the move.

“Dubas and his staff are working on several scenarios to fit Karlsson on the roster and be cap compliant. One scenario involves a straight-up deal with the Sharks,” wrote Rossi over the wekeend.

“Another involves including a third team with cap space. There could also be a deal that would include buying out a current roster player…to make the cap math work.”

Rossi believes that Marcus Pettersson and Jeff Petry are two players the Sharks are interested in. As well, Dubas would preferably “favor at least top-five protection on any first-round draft pick(s) and is open to conditions, such as home-ice advantage or winning a postseason series, for lower-round pick(s) included in a potential Karlsson deal.”

Finally, the Penguins are operating under the assumption that the Sharks will retain a percentage of Karlsson's massive $11.5 million cap hit per season. The amount retained will depend on the other assets the Sharks would potentially receive from the Penguins or a third team, per Rossi.

It certainly is good news for fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it's starting to become more and more clear that Erik Karlsson will be traded to Pennsylvania or not at all.