Erik Karlsson sweepstakes reportedly down to only two teams

The first day of free agency was a wild one to say the least and we also saw a pair of trades, both involving defencemen. Montreal shipped Joel Edmundson to Washington, while Dallas dealt to New Jersey.

But the biggest name on the trade market is still available, that being San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson.

While on the NHL Network on Saturday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shared an update on the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes and revealed that it's down to only two teams - the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins.




Karlsson, 33, earned his third Norris Trophy last month following one of the best seasons we've seen for a defenceman in NHL history. The Landsbro, Sweden native finished the season with 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists), 36 penalty minutes and was a minus-26. He became only the sixth defenceman in NHL history to record 100 or more points in a single season joining Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis, Brian Leetch and Dennis Potvin.

Both the Hurricanes and Penguins would be solid fits for Karlsson, who has admitted he wants to play for a contending team. The only issue that is going to come up in trade negotiations is salary retention as the Sharks are willing to eat a portion of Karlsson's $11.5 million AAV cap hit, but don't want to retain 50%.

Who do you think will be a better fit for Karlsson - Carolina or Pittsburgh? Have your say in the poll below!