4 Potential Trade Destinations For Penguins' Erik Karlsson

The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to make multiple trades in the coming weeks, as a fire sale is brewing. President Kyle Dubas is working the phones, and one of his first moves will be unloading pending free-agent, and leading scorer, Erik Karlsson.

The mobile defenceman has turned back the clock this season, recording 18 points in his first 18 games. Karlsson's earning $10 million AAV this season, and Dubas will 100% have to retain a significant portion of his cap hit to make a deal work, but that's certainly something the Penguins' front office is willing to take on. 

Karlsson owns a full no-movement clause, and has all the say in the matter, and expect him to only be open to Stanley Cup contenders for the rest of this season, and there's already rumblings he'll be signing a free-agent deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs next July. 

Here's four potential trade destinations for the offensive blueliner:

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes could use another right-hander on their blueline, and have been linked to Karlsson for a couple of years now. They have Alexander Nikishin, who Dubas loves, so there's certainly a chance Karlsson is part of a bigger package heading to the 'Canes for the Russian, once disgruntled blueliner.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are expected to make multiple trades this season, as they've been in talks with the Penguins about Karlsson, and Rickard Rakell. They're loaded with young talent, and NHL-ready prospects, who are searching for ice time, so don't be surprised to see these two teams pull off a huge trade, involving Matthew Poitras, and multiple draft picks.

Utah Mammoth

The Mammoth are playing solid to start the year, and their front office has been given the green light to continue to push for a Stanley Cup this season. Utah needs more production from their back end and Karlsson would be a perfect incision of offensive production, and puck-moving abilities. At this point, the Mammoth might make the most sense.

Ottawa Senators

A reunion nobody saw coming at the start of this season? The Sens are playing great in their Tkachuk-less era, and there's no doubt they could use more production from the back end. With Karlsson's history in Ottawa, it would be an easy transition, and potentially a great landing spot for him to re-sign, and finish out his career.