The Tampa Bay Lightning are no strangers to bold trades. This is the franchise that traded five draft picks and a player to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Tanner Jeannot. Tampa Bay built its juggernaut rosters from the late 2010s to the early 2020s on its aggressiveness in the trade market.
Even now that the Lightning have taken a step back, they remain aggressive. Tampa traded for the rights to Jake Guentzel last summer before he officially hit NHL Free Agency. This allowed them to sign Guentzel to a seven-year contract and prevent him from reaching the market.
The point here is that the Lightning will make whatever move they feel they need to in order to win. It’s an attitude that helped them win back-to-back Stanley Cups at the start of the decade. And it’s a stance that could see them return to Stanley Cup contention status sooner rather than later.
This aggressiveness has not gone unnoticed, either. Sportsnet writer Sonny Sachdeva compiled a list of trade destinations for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson. And he named the Lightning as a potential suitor.
“(General manager Julien) BriseBois has proven he has no fear of swinging big for a piece he feels his club needs — if the Lightning are looking to add more dynamic skill to their back end, and an opportunity to make the money work presents itself, might Karlsson be worth a dice-roll?” Sachdeva wrote.
Team Sweden Connection Adds to Lightning Fit
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesErik Karlsson has a connection with a longtime Team Sweden teammate on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
A move for Karlsson is extremely intriguing for Tampa Bay. He would add another element to their blueline and make them a more dangerous offensive team. However, Sachdeva pointed out a potentially important factor that may make a difference: Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman.
“If there was one bright spot for Karlsson last season, it was his sterling form at 4 Nations, leading Sweden through the tournament with his fellow Tre Kronor vet. The two didn’t pair together exclusively, but their history together for the national team is lengthy, and there are few who understand the strengths and weaknesses of Karlsson’s game as well as the Lightning stalwart,” Sachdeva wrote for Sportsnet.
A Karlsson-Hedman pair in Tampa Bay would be one of the most star-studded pairs in the league. Of course, neither player is the same elite talent they used to be. However, a reunion in South Florida could see these two veterans find another gear late in their careers.
Erik Karlsson Trade Difficult For Tampa Bay
Discussing a potential Karlsson trade for the Lightning is fun. Especially when we’ve reached a point in the offseason when discussing trade fits is the best way to pass the time. However, it’s worth pointing out that this is an extremely difficult move for Tampa to make.
The Penguins are expected to retain salary if they move Karlsson. However, Tampa would struggle to take Karlsson even if Pittsburgh retained 50% of his $10 million cap hit. The Lightning have just $1.18 million in available space, according to PuckPedia.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh is looking for young, NHL-caliber talent in any return. Tampa has young players they could part with, to be fair. Gage Goncalves, Conor Geekie, and JJ Moser could certainly interest the Penguins. However, it’s hard to imagine the Lightning being eager to move these players, even with their aggressive nature taken into account.
It’s certainly not impossible for Tampa and Pittsburgh to work something out. However, there are significant obstacles to clear. And that could prevent the Lightning from adding the three-time Norris Trophy winner to the roster.
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