Next season, Toronto Maple Leafs will look very different, but they did a good job of replacing the pieces they lost in the offseason. The biggest loss was forward Mitchell Marner, who traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in a signature deal, where he signed an eight-year contract worth $12 million each year. They brought Matias Maccelli in the deal with Utah Mammoth, who should be able to replace some lost offensive production, but they still have a loophole in the top six forwards. Recently, they have been linked to Pittsburgh Penguins defender Erik Karlsson, but that’s not the person they should be pursuing this summer.
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Elliotte Friedman noted in his latest 32-Idea podcast that trade talks are heating up Karlsson, and RG’s James Murphy adds fuel to the fire, placing maple leaves as one of several teams with potential interest. Murphy added that Carlson and general manager Kyle Dubas are willing to look for a deal if the financial aspect of the matter can be resolved.
Given Karlsson’s $10 million cap, this is not easy for any team. The San Jose Shark retained some Carlson’s contract when he sent him to the Penguin, but he still had a huge price for him and any team that got him would have to be willing to bear most of it (if not all double digits).
Carlson should be avoided by maple leaves. They may be interested in improving offensive production on the back end, but there are more affordable options available in the market to acquire more wisely. Karlsson isn’t a bad defender, he offers a lot of offensive work, but he’s not a player once, and it’s not wise for the Maple Leafs to spend the rest of his money on him.
Who else can use it?
As of now, Maple Leaf has $4,983,081 in cap space. The idea of hiring Carlson will also have to make money, and he is not worth shaking their entire team to acquire. New Jersey Devils defender Dougie Hamilton has circulated his name in trade talks in recent weeks, but he is a $9 million annual hat of the year, so it doesn’t make sense unless the Devil wants to keep half of the contract.
Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flying Man isn’t the worst target. He has a $6.25 million block shooting percentage and is easier to fit into their roster. He extended until the 2030-31 season, scoring 30 points in 82 games last season, with an average score of 0.37 points. His offensive numbers won’t jump out of the page, but he might be a nice addition, and a way to increase his perspective output in a larger role can be found.
Ultimately, there are better options than introducing Karlsson. I think the Penguins want to clear some cap space and transfer Karlsson to a team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup, but any trade requires some tough navigation. Unless the Penguins are willing to keep half of Carlson’s remaining contract, it’s unlikely that he’s extended in the 2026-27 season, Maple Leafs should turn it to another defensive goal.
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