Trade hypothetical: William Nylander-Erik Karlsson three-team blockbuster

The New York Islanders, meanwhile, are one of the teams that would love to add Nylander to their top six. They reached the playoffs last year, but their offense struggled and they need a boost offensively to make a Cup run next year. Nylander is a free agent after next season, but the Islanders would eagerly add him with the hopes that he puts a veteran-heavy roster over the top.

The San Jose Sharks, meanwhile, are heading in the opposite direction. They are looking to rebuild from the ground up and will look to accumulate draft assets and prospects to help them contend in the near future. As a result, they will look to trade Karlsson this summer, at his peak value.

A blockbuster trade involving three teams is not only unlikely but difficult to pull off, especially if it involves two elite players. However, the Islanders, Maple Leafs and Sharks would all benefit from a big trade this offseason. The Islanders and Maple Leafs would be adding star players to contending rosters, while the Sharks would pick up a surplus of assets to help kickstart their rebuild.

Sharks Move Karlsson For a Haul

The best time to trade Karlsson is this summer. He’s coming off a year where he played in all 82 regular-season games, scored 25 goals and 76 assists while contributing 3.0 defensive point shares to win his third Norris Trophy. At 33 years old, it’s unlikely he will have another season like the past one, especially considering he’s missed time to injury in the four seasons before that. While his long-term health is a concern for any team that wants to add him, a contender will make a move for the star two-way defenseman hoping he is the missing piece to a Cup contender. For the Sharks, they can move Karlsson for a strong return that can set them up for a quick and successful rebuild.

The Maple Leafs want to add an elite two-way defenseman to a star-studded roster. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner lead the top six but the team is looking for another defenseman who can open up the offense from the point. Karlsson, with 178 goals and 583 assists in his career, would not only provide that but as a great skating defenseman, he would make the Maple Leafs the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

The question is what the price would be to acquire a player of Karlsson’s caliber? Jack Eichel and Bo Horvat were recently traded for three pieces in blockbuster deals, and the price would be similar for an elite defenseman, albeit, one at the backend of his career. The Maple Leafs would have to part with at least a first-round selection if not two high draft picks to acquire Karlsson, but the deal would be worthwhile as they’d land a player who can make them a Cup-contending team.

The subsequent question the Maple Leafs would need to answer is how they can fit Karlsson’s contract under the salary cap. He’s being paid $11.5 million per year for the next four years and by acquiring him, the Maple Leafs would have to move out some players to make the trade work. One player they could move is goaltender Matt Murray, who has a $4.6 million cap hit, making him someone they can trade to the Sharks in the deal by throwing in a second-round draft selection. However, a deal involving Nylander and the $6.9 million left on his contract becomes paramount to a deal working out.

Maple Leafs Move Nylander to Islanders

Nylander is in the final year of his six-year contract and with extension talks stalling, he could be traded this summer. Ideally, the Maple Leafs keep him on the roster for one more all-in push with their current core which includes him, Matthews, Marner, and John Tavares. However, if the Maple Leafs can move him, especially to add Karlsson to their roster, they’ll make a trade.

The Islanders are the team that would not only be interested in Nylander but are hoping to add elite talent to the wing to upgrade the offense. They have a veteran-heavy roster and are led by a great defensive unit and elite goaltending. The problem is their offense lacks versatility and elite talent in the top six that can carry them in a playoff run. Nylander, who is coming off a season where he scored 40 goals and 47 assists, would be a great fit alongside Horvat, Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson.

If the Islanders want to acquire Nylander in the three-team deal, they would have to send pieces to both the Maple Leafs and the Sharks to make the trade work. The expendable skater that they can trade to the Maple Leafs is restricted free agent (RFA) Oliver Wahlstrom, a promising young forward coming off a season cut short by an injury. The Maple Leafs will not require a strong return from the Islanders, considering they would acquire Karlsson in the blockbuster trade but the Sharks would hope to land a few pieces to complete the trade.

Islanders Send Assets To Sharks

If the Sharks trade Karlsson to the Maple Leafs, they would have $16 million in cap space to work with. As a result, they would be the team to take on players with higher salaries in exchange for prospects and draft picks. The Maple Leafs would likely send one player to the Sharks but the Islanders can send at least two players, and their contracts attached, in a trade.

The Islanders would move a veteran like Jean-Gabriel Pageau in a deal to the Sharks. The veteran center is under contract for the next three years at $5 million per year, making him the ideal player to move to fit Nylander onto their roster while providing a rebuilding team with a reliable middle-six contributor. Along with Pageau, the Islanders would have to move a draft selection in the first round and possibly their top prospect, William Dufour, as part of the trade as well.

This would give the Sharks a remarkable return as they would receive multiple draft selections from the Islanders and the Maple Leafs, helping them turn the roster around. This, by the way, would only cost them Karlsson, an elite defenseman, but one that is nearing the end of his prime.

Other Notes On a Possible Blockbuster Trade

It’s unlikely that these three teams will make a blockbuster deal involving two elite players. Instead, the most realistic avenue for a Karlsson trade would involve a third team retaining some of his salary in exchange for draft assets. However, if all three general managers can make the deal work, it would benefit all the teams involved.

Karlsson is nearing the end of his career and he wants to be traded to a Stanley Cup contender. The Sharks are in the middle of a difficult rebuild and are multiple years away from contending. A trade would be best for both the team and the player and if he is moved to the Maple Leafs, he can propel them to the Cup and end the longest title drought in NHL history.