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Penguins willing to listen to offers for one of their star players, per The Athletic

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated Feb 6, 2025 2:00 PM ET

In what seems to be a turn of events, the Pittsburgh Penguins may now be willing to allow teams to send offers regarding one of their star players.

The Pittsburgh Penguins remain outside the Stanley Cup Playoff picture , which only serves to fuel the speculation that general manager and president Kyle Dubas might trigger a roster shake-up.

Erik Karlsson could be traded

One of the biggest names who could move: defenseman Erik Karlsson, whom Dubas brought in early in his regime.

Karlsson, 34, has five goals and 36 points in 55 games this season. He had 56 points in 82 games last year, well off the 101 points he had with San Jose the previous season.

He has a $10-million cap hit through 2026-27, with the Sharks retaining a portion of his original $11.5-million salary. Any trade would require Karlsson's approval because of his no-movement clause.

Columbus, Calgary, and Vancouver could be possible destinations

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Jackets have loads of cap space, so if Pittsburgh retains some salary, Columbus could fit Karlsson in. They're trying to get into a playoff position and maybe see him as that big veteran addition.

Calgary Flames: Much like Columbus, Calgary's another fringe contender with some cap space. General Manager Craig Conroy doesn't mind fiddling with his roster, and Karlsson can make the Flames' blue line better.

Vancouver Canucks: The Vancouver management is active on the trade front, and now that J.T. Miller got moved, the Canucks will probably need some defense reinforcements.

He is not the Karlsson of old, but a reduced cap hit may just make him overly valuable.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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