Major development in Erik Karlsson trade talks.

It feels like I have been hearing about the potential of an Erik Karlsson trade forever now, but the latest indications are giving me some hope that this deal may actually come to fruition.

It's no secret that Karlsson would like to go play somewhere where he will have the opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup Championship, and likewise the Sharks no doubt view the potential return they could get in a deal for Karlsson as a more important piece of their future than the man himself.

In fact it seems likely that the biggest hurdle to getting this deal done hasn't been a lack of desire, but rather the massive cap hit of $11 million attached to Karlsson's contract. That cap hit not only applies to next season but the 3 subsequent seasons that would follow as well, a massive challenge for any NHL team to take on.

In spite of that, National Hockey League insider Chris Johnston is now reporting that there is a "strong belief" that a deal will get done here. According to the latest from Johnston, there are a handful of teams that remain in the mix in these trade discussions with the insider naming the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins as two of those teams.

There is one additional piece of context that points to the fact that we are nearing a deal here, according to Johnston teams have been given permission to speak directly to Karlsson in recent days which points to the fact that Karlsson will soon have a choice to make.

While this appears to be a very difficult trade to pull off, the positive sentiment around the talks appear to indicate this will get done.