NHL Trade Rumors: 3 Potential Trade Destinations for Penguins' Erik Karlsson

The Pittsburgh Penguins are open for business.

Not only are they taking calls on forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, the Penguins are open to moving defenceman Erik Karlsson. Pittsburgh will surely have to retain some of the right-handed defenceman's salary, as Karlsson is set to earn $10 million AAV for two more seasons. 

Karlsson owns a no-movement clause, and there's been several reports that his exit meeting with president Kyle Dubas at the end of last season was very candid, with Dubas wanting more out of Karlsson from a work ethic stand point. With the Penguins acquiring Connor Clifton and recently Matt Dumba, the chances of Karlsson being moved went way up.

Here's three teams to keep an eye on this summer:

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs aren't a perfect match for Karlsson, but they are a team looking to replace some of the offense that Mitch Marner took with him to Vegas. Karlsson would give the Leafs a quarterback for their first power play, something they've been craving for quite some time. Money is the issue here as the Leafs don't have the cap space to take on Karlsson's $10 million, and it would be interesting to see how much Dubas would be willing to help them out. But there's no denying the Penguins' president knows the Leafs farm system like the back of his hand for trade targets.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have made several bold moves this offseason and GM Pat Verbeek isn't finished. They could use some more secondary scoring, especially from their blueline, so Karlsson fits the bill. Anaheim has boat loads of cap space and the Penguins could use them to dump most, if not all of Karlsson's remaining salary. Playing hockey in California is something Karlsson got a taste of with the Sharks, so there's certainly a chance these two teams link up for a deal.

Winnipeg Jets

Don't sleep on the Jets. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has plenty of cap space to work with still, and with a limited free-agent crop remaining, Karlsson could be a nice upgrade on the back end for them. Logan Stanley could be someone the Penguins have interest in. The Jets aren't scared to add veterans as they are in win-now mode for the foreseeable future.

photo credit: Bob Lee, Imagn Images