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Penguins Shopping Erik Karlsson: Three Canadian Teams Reportedly in Hot Pursuit

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 4:02 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to move on from Erik Karlsson, and after starting his career in Canada, three teams are now vying to bring the veteran back.

This off-season has been quiet for big trades around the NHL, but one team to keep an eye on before training camp is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have made it clear that players like Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson are all potentially available to be acquired via trade.

The most likely of those three to be moved is veteran blue liner Karlsson, who has had two solid seasons in Pittsburgh after being acquired from San Jose, but with the team not expected to contend anytime soon, it makes sense for them to recoup some assets now while they can.

We've heard little on the Karlsson front thus far, but from a recent TSN report by Travis Yost, three Canadian teams (Ottawa, Edmonton and Toronto) may be the ones that make the most sense around the National Hockey League.

In Edmonton's case, it would likely mean moving Darnell Nurse to land Karlsson, and at this point in time, that's a lot easier said than done, but getting the veteran blue liner to any of these three Canadian squads would not be easy.

Ultimately, it makes sense that Karlsson would be appealing to three teams that need more offense from their blue line, so while it's unclear exactly what level of interest these three teams have in the veteran, if there's any possibility of making a deal, he'd be a great fit for all three as they look to push for a deep post-season run in 2025/26.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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