NHL Trade Rumors: How every team could trade for Erik Karlsson

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 27: {L-R} John Klingberg #3 of the Dallas Stars and Erik Karlsson #65 of the Ottawa Senators warm-up prior to the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on January 27, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /

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Detroit Red Wings

Why they make sense: The Detroit Red Wings are stuck in a rebuild. But here’s the problem. They just opened a new arena and probably don’t want fans to get disinterested. Find a way to fit Erik Karlsson under the salary cap would make them a much better team.

Feasible trade: This is going to be complicated because the Red Wings have an awful salary cap situation. A feasible trade might not exist unless Detroit gets very lucky in the draft lottery. If they win it or at least finish in the top three, the Red Wings can probably make a Karlsson trade happen.

Ottawa won’t be too interested in taking on an expensive deal in return. They have enough of those to worry about even without Karlsson. But in Detroit’s case, it might be a necessity. Gustav Nyquist’s deal isn’t horrible and at least he’s still a decent player. He’s due $4.75 million through the end of next season.

Toss in Filip Hronek and another mid-level prospect and you might have enough to make the Senators think.

Why it won’t happen: It’s not happening because the Red Wings are in awful shape as far as cap space. Would Karlsson be a massive upgrade? Absolutely. Should they be interested in him? Sure. But the Senators can find a team with far more to offer than Detroit.

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