"S**t show for all three teams": NHL fans grade Erik Karlsson's trade to Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023 involving Habs, Sharks

Erik Karlsson's acquisition by Pittsburgh Penguins was a shocker on August 6, 2023. The then-Norris Trophy winner joining the Pittsburgh Penguins from the San Jose Sharks made quite the headline.

However, as far as the Penguins are concerned, things weren't so easy. That transaction wasn't in any way a small task. It took nine players and three draft picks. This was spread out between three teams: the Penguins, Sharks, and Montreal Canadiens to get the deal through.

On an X post by NHL Network, here's how NHL fans on X/Twitter graded Erik Karlsson's trade to the Penguins from the Sharks after one year. One tweeted:

"This is just a sh*t show for all three teams lol"

Another fan chimed in and wrote:

"Good deal for my guys! “Traded to BUF” doesn’t really do the return justice, since that pick was packaged with the Devils pick we got from the TImo Meier deal to move up to 11 to take Sam Dickinson. VERY happy with the outcome"

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"Misleading, sharks used the pick to move up 3 spots and draft a potential top pairing Dman in Dickinson….Sharks won this trade by a mile," one X user said.

"PIT traded bad players for a Norris winner…if they fix the PP this year it’ll be an A+ for the Pens," another opined.

"San Jose traded their only good player remaining away ensuring they won the tank bowl and got Celibrini. They flipped pick 14 to get Sam Dickinson who’s on the main roster right now as well. Plus freed up cap space, Granlund revived his career, and may get traded for more picks," one commented.

"Pittsburgh won the trade value-wise, but it hasn't helped their position...maybe if San Jose can get positive assets for Granlund it's them," another chimed in.

Revisiting Erik Karlsson's trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Karlsson had a stellar 2022-23 season. He scored a career-high 101 points with 25 goals and 76 assists, leading all defensemen in scoring. As a result, the 34-year-old Swedish defenseman was honored with the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league that season.

As part of the deal, the Penguins received Erik Karlsson, forward Rem Oitlick, prospect Dillon Hamaliuk, and a third-round pick in the 2026 draft from the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks, in return, got forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Jan Rutta, along with Mike Hoffman from the Montreal Canadiens, plus a first-round pick in the 2024 draft.

The Montreal Canadiens received defenseman Jeff Petry, a second-round pick in 2025, and prospect Nathan Legare in return in the three-team trade. The Habs had to step in to make sure everything was within the salary cap limits.

At the time, Erik Karlsson had four years remaining on his eight-year, $92 million deal. The contract carried a cap hit of $11.5 million, of which the Sharks will retain $1.5 million until the contract's expiration in 2027.

On the other hand, the Penguins will be responsible for holding $1.56 million of Petry's salary as part of the deal.