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The Erik Karlsson saga is nearing its end.
After months and months of trade rumors, the Ottawa Senators finally appear ready to pull the trigger on a deal involving the superstar defenseman.
Darren Dreger had this to say during a radio spot with Montreal's TSN 690 this morning (
transcription via NicholsOnHockey):
“Now, everything about the Ottawa Senators seems to be a mystery. So I’m not going to stake my reputation on saying that I’m 100 percent certain that a deal will be done today involving Erik Karlsson, but I do trust my sources and every indication is that Eugene Melynk wants this saga to end. I’m sure that Erik Karlsson’s teammates, even though he’s well-liked inside that room, would prefer that they don’t have to deal with this on a day in and day out basis moving forward.
Vegas, Tampa Bay, and Dallas have long been considered the most likely destinations for Karlsson. Ultimately, I think he'll end up with one of those teams.
With that said, Dreger threw a bit of a curveball during his hit on TSN 690 by mentioning the New Jersey Devils as a potential landing spot.
“I’m just at the Mastercard Centre in Toronto here for the Maple Leafs, but as I was driving I got a call from a junior contact, believe it or not, who suggested that maybe the New Jersey Devils has inched their way into the process.
Previously the only way anyone thought they'd be involved in a Karlsson trade was as a third party to eat money and help facilitate a trade. Legitimately joining the Karlsson sweepstakes would be quite a development.
If the Devils were to acquire Erik Karlsson, it would be costly (rightfully so). I'd imagine it'd take something like Damon Severson, Miles Wood, Michael McLeod, and an additional 1st round pick.
In Severson, Ottawa would get a 24-year-old, top-4 right-handed defender who is locked up for five more years at a reasonable number ($4.16M per).
In Wood, they'd get a young, efficient goal scorer who plays hard and is under team control until 2023 (his first year of UFA eligibility).
In McLeod, they would be getting an elite skating center with a non-stop motor who projects to become a middle-6 forward.
A 1st round pick would be a necessary piece to help with the rebuild considering the Senators don't have their own.
Would this package be enough? Maybe, maybe not but I think it's the kind of deal we'll be looking at if the Devils and Senators do come together on a deal.
I still think Karlsson ends up elsewhere but I guess crazier things have happened. It should be a fun 24-48 hours.
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