NHL free agency: 5 teams who need to sign Erik Karlsson

5. Vancouver Canucks

There are several reasons to believe the Vancouver Canucks are going to be among the teams pursuing Erik Karlsson this summer. First of all, dear goodness does their defense need help. Even with the addition of top prospect Quinn Hughes, the Canucks easily have one of the worst bluelines in the league. Here’s their depth chart, per CapFriendly.

Quinn Hughes – Christopher Tanev
Ben Hutton – Troy Stecher
Derrick Pouliot – Alex Biega

Even if you assume they re-sign long-time defenseman Alex Edler, that’s still a pretty weak blueline.

Secondly, Karlsson would give their blueline an elite puck mover, something they’ve lacked for years. Thirdly, they certainly have the cap space to bring him in long-term. Even if Brock Boeser gets an $8 million AAV deal, it still leaves the Canucks with well over $25 million of cap space, assuming the cap ceiling is raised to $83 million as expected.

Fourthly, the Canucks have always been a target for Swedish players. I’m sure the Sedin twins will talk up Vancouver as the underrated, great city that it is.

However, the Canucks must convince Karlsson they are Stanley Cup contenders. With him, it’s a bit of a tough sell, but with Elias Pettersson, Boeser, Bo Horvat, Hughes, and others, they’re at least in the discussion, though they likely fall short.

The Canucks have the opportunity to be extremely selective and bold regarding what they do this summer. It wouldn’t surprise me if they swing for the fences and see if Karlsson’s interested. If they’re going to splurge on anyone this summer, it should be for him.

4. Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens blueline could use a dynamic puck mover. If only they had someone like P.K. Subban. Anyway, Karlsson would make a ton of sense for Montreal as far as a roster fit. Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, and Karlsson would form a heck of a trio down the right side.

Sure, the left side would still need some help, but it’s reasonable to expect one of those three excellent defensemen to play on his opposite side.

Karlsson could also help the Canadiens address their power play issues. He’s one of the best point men in the NHL when it comes to the man advantage. Karlsson ranks fifth among defensemen over the past three seasons (minimum 250 minutes) with 5.70 points per hour on the power play.

Furthermore, if you look at Montreal’s roster, they lack top-notch skill. You need that to win in today’s NHL. Karlsson would be a significant step in the right direction in that regard.

However, the Canadiens might not want to have yet another expensive contract on their team. They’re already committing $10 million annually to Carey Price and Weber’s contract isn’t pretty either.

The Canadiens could probably sell Karlsson on their long-term outlook thanks to their young players and deep roster. And if Montreal’s feeling the pressure, they certainly have the cap space to make something happen.

3. New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils aren’t Stanley Cup contenders – yet. But they are a very desperate team trying to do enough to convince 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall to stick around. The Devils could also use a significant upgrade to their defense. Ergo, signing Erik Karlsson would make a ton of sense for them.

That said, this isn’t something the Devils are expected to do. They rarely get involved in free agency, preferring to draft, develop, and trade for their players. However, there’s no excuse for the Devils if they don’t at least kick the tires on the best defenseman available.

If Karlsson wants to get paid, no team is in a better situation to hand him a huge deal than New Jersey. They have a ton of cap space and a lot of flexibility with their roster. Also, the Devils need to make sure to do things while Jack Hughes (assuming he’s the guy they draft with the first overall pick) is dirt cheap.

A reason the Devils are the fourth-most popular team in the New York/New Jersey area is that they usually don’t make big moves. And when even when they do make big moves like trading for Hall, the Canadiens and Predators break Twitter by trading P.K. Subban for Shea Weber. The Devils need Karlsson if they want to build a contender.

2. New York Rangers

The New York Rangers might be rebuilding, but if their rebuild is a fire, a whole lot of gasoline just got poured all over it in the form of the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft (likely Kaapo Kakko). This speeds up the timeline of their rebuild. Suddenly, signing Erik Karlsson makes a ton of sense.

It made sense even before the Rangers were guaranteed an elite prospect who should turn into a star forward. After all, New York has one of the worst defensive cores in the NHL. Karlsson would immediately turn it into a far more respectable one.

They also have the salary cap space to sign him. And even if space winds up being an issue, they have a number of forwards they could trade to open up some space. Karlsson and his family want to go a team where they’ll have some friends. It’s not a secret Henrik Lundqvist is one of Karlsson’s best friends.

The Rangers need to fix their defense desperately. Karlsson has a pulse, ergo, it already makes sense for them to go after him. Factor in what he can do on the ice and he’s a perfect fit for the New York Rangers.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

Listen, this is where Erik Karlsson is going. The sooner hockey fans accept the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be his next team, the better. Remember, Karlsson was nearly traded there last summer before talks broke down.

The Lightning are going to need to add some pieces to their blueline this summer, and they’ll have some cap space to do it. Karlsson’s going to command an expensive deal, but Tampa has an ace up their sleeve – taxes. Or rather, the lack of them.

A big reason the Lightning are able to sign players to below-market deals is that the state of Florida does not have an income tax. Well, there’s always the whole “they have the difficulty setting set to easy” thing, but nothing can be done about that.

Furthermore, Karlsson is one of Victor Hedman’s best friends. Family and friends have always been a priority for the two-time Norris Trophy winner. And Tampa’s a pretty nice place to raise a family. The beaches are pretty darn nice, too.

While the Lightning will have to make some moves to make it work, Karlsson’s worth the effort. If they find someone to take on Ryan Callahan and maybe someone to trade for Tyler Johnson, they should be able to fit Karlsson’s salary into their system.

Should he go to Tampa, he will likely not get a cap hit with eight digits to the left of the decimal point. But that might not matter to Karlsson, who will be where he has likely wanted to be all along.