NHL insider believes Hurricanes' division rivals could still pip them in Erik Karlsson trade 

The trade saga involving Erik Karlsson has become one of the most captivating subjects in the NHL. Since Karlsson requested a trade from the San Jose Sharks, the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins have emerged as the frontrunners to sign the reigning Norris Trophy winner.

However, the Karlsson trade has challenges. He's expected to take a cap hit of $11.5 million this season, so teams pursuing the 2023 Norris Trophy winner face a problematic cap situation.

To fulfill the San Jose Sharks' anticipated trade package, both the Hurricanes and Penguins would need to find a way to deal with the cap situation or seek the assistance of a third team to make the trade happen.

According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Penguins are emerging as a likely destination among both teams pursuing Karlsson.

"At times, I've had people tell me they think it's more likely that Carolina's going to be destination at other times, including the one most recently, I've had people say to me, no, they kind of think it's tipping a little bit towards Pittsburgh"

Friedman also said that the Hurricanes have a number in mind and that the Sharks will not listen to, so it all comes down to the Penguins and what they have in mind to offer the Sharks:

"That's the thing about the danger about reporting this, that it seems to change from time to time. ... I think Carolina has got a number in mind, at this point in time. I don't think San Jose is going to get to, so we'll see what Pittsburgh can do"

The Karlsson trade saga is proving to be more complex than initially thought, with uncertainties surrounding his future. As of now, it remains to be seen whether one of the aforementioned teams signs him or he ends up joining a new team.

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Penguins President Kyle Dubas is interested in bringing in Erik Karlsson

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been linked with the reigning Norris Trophy winner since his name began to circulate in the market.

Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ newly elected President of Hockey Operations, has previously mentioned that he is impressed and interested in bringing Erik Karlsson to the team.

The only stumbling block in this trade is Karlsson’s $11.5 million cap hit, and San Jose Sharks manager Mike Grier has previously said that the club will not be willing to eat up 50% of Karlsson’s contract.

As per CapFriendly, the Penguins are currently negative $2.2 million in cap space and would have to offload some of their players to make this trade possible.

Erik Karlsson won his third Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league. Despite playing for the struggling San Jose Sharks last season, the 33-year-old put up impressive numbers.

Karlsson led all defensemen in scoring with 101 points (25 goals and 76 assists). He had previously won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in 2015 and 2012.