NHL
Penguins Celebrate Sidney Crosby’s Birthday by Acquiring Erik Karlsson
The hockey trade of the summer finally happened Sunday when Pittsburgh acquired Erik Karlsson in a three-way deal with San Jose and Montreal.
The Karlsson talk had persisted through the spring and summer. Karlsson, 33, is a three-time Norris Trophy winner who wanted out of San Jose. If the Penguins aren’t already a handful for the Flyers, now Philadelphia will have to deal with Karlsson four times this season.
When the Penguins make news, it affects the Flyers. The Penguins are the Flyers’ biggest rival and, as the old expression goes, when Pittsburgh sneezes, Philadelphia catches a cold.
The Penguins landing Karlsson shakes up the entire Eastern Conference. The dynamic has changed. No team can think Pittsburgh is on the way down, with an aging team. The Penguins put themselves right back into serious Cup contention.
Smart move by the Penguins. Sidney Crosby turned 36 today. Quite a nice birthday present, landing one of the NHL’s premier defensemen.
Evgeni Malkin is 36. Kris Letang is 35. Jeff Carter is 38. It’s now or never for the Penguins’ core to try to win another Stanley Cup.
Crosby has won three Cups in Pittsburgh. The clock is ticking. Pittsburgh (40-32-11) missed the playoffs last season, by one point. New president and general manager Kyle Dubas wanted to do everything he would not let that happen again while Crosby is playing.
Here are some expert takes on the trade.
From Pittsburgh Hockey Now: All the details, money, and players changing sides. The official Erik Karlsson trade story.
Penguins trade analysis: Kyle Dubas got his man at a discount.
Penguins WIN Karlsson trade, but can’t stop here.
Here’s San Jose Hockey Now’s take: The Karlsson trade was a tale of two trades for the San Jose Sharks.
And from Montreal Hockey Now: Hello again, Jeff Petry. The Montreal Canadiens made it happen.
Plus the snap analysis on the Canadiens trade from Montreal Hockey Now.
Flyers, In Case You Missed It:
Playing on two different continents, Flyers prospects Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov show they are the franchise’s future cornerstones.
Flyers defenseman Marc Staal has a how-to-win message for his new team.
Around The National Hockey Network:
Carolina Hockey Now: Hurricanes trade target Erik Karlsson headed to Penguins.
Chicago Hockey Now: Goalie Drew Commesso is a highly regarded Blackhawks prospect.
Colorado Hockey Now: Some thoughts on the Avalanche defense.
Detroit Hockey Now: More details on the death of former Bruins and Red Wings goalie Gilles Gilbert
Los Angeles Hockey Now: Kings’ expectations for high-scoring Adrian Kempe.
Montreal Hockey Now: Canadiens retaining salary could lead to another Jeff Petry trade.d
Vegas Hockey Now: Not always good times between Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy and forward Jonathan Marchessault.
Disagree. They are not a Stanley cup contender, just an aging group of veterans who are another year older. Karlsson is an improvement and will help, but doesn’t put them into the Stanley cup conversation. He didn’t do that much to improve San Jose.
Pittsburgh may make the playoffs, but they are not a match for the speed of Carolina and the Devils, amongst others.
Pens serious cup contenders??? With an often injured Jarry between the pipes? They will have to win every game 7-6 during the regular season just to sniff the playoffs and then have to play the Devil’s, Rangers or Canes in the first round. Eriksson is a wing masquerading as a defenseman and his plus/minus proves it. When tight defense comes into play come playoff time, the Pens are cooked, assuming of course they sneak into the playoffs.
Friggin’ Yinzers. When all those mid-30s players are worn down by the 82-game schedule, they’ll go out in the first round again.