Erik Karlsson’s tenure with Pittsburgh has been a bit underwhelming, to say the least. While he has eclipsed 50 points in each of his first two years, his totals pale in comparison to the 101 he had in 2022-23 with San Jose. In a recent 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mused that once Karlsson’s signing bonus gets paid (July 1st is the payment date for most but not all), the 34-year-old will be more of a realistic trade target. At that point, he’ll be down to just $11.5MM in cash owed over the final two years of the contract, a chunk of which the Sharks will be picking up. If the Penguins are willing to retain further, they might find a relatively decent trade market for his services, especially among some of the lower-spending teams who might find extra value in having an AAV higher than cash owed.