Mike Grier meets with the media to discuss Erik Karlsson trade

In case you missed the news yesterday, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a blockbuster move, acquiring reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in a three way trade involving the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens.

Immediately following the deal, Sharks GM Mike Grier made himself available to local media and fielded questions on his first big maneuver as the team's GM.

"Having some cap flexibility and financial flexibility was really important for us going forward,” Grier replied when asked why he didn't push for a larger return.

“It's important for us to be able to have the flexibility to go out and acquire players, either in free agency or through trades, whenever these situations kind of pop up where there's a good player available. I think we'll be at the point where we'll have the resources both with the money and assets to maybe get involved to try and acquire those types of players,” Grier shared about the cap flexibility that the Sharks are opening up three years from now.

Meanwhile earlier today, Penguins President and GM Kyle Dubas met with the media to break down his latest acquisition and to answer questions on the team's roster makeup heading into the 2023-24 season.

Some choice quotes from Dubas' presser today:

"There's a lot of work to be done. The team missed the playoffs last year. There's no dancing around it. We tried to supplement as best we can, and I know that there'll be people that doubt the group. We have to go out and prove it starting the first day of training camp."

"It was a fairly lengthy process with San Jose... It gains us the flexibility we want. We need to improve our ability to move the puck out of our own zone and Erik does that."

- Kyle Dubas

On whether or not Dubas was worried another team would scoop up Karlsson :

"You always think that. Maybe just paranoia just goes with this. You stay up all night staring up at the ceiling wondering about how you're going to do this."

It's an affirmation - we have the chance and opportunity to contend for a championship... I know there will be a lot of people to doubt the group... We have our belief and that's on me to lead the way."

- Kyle Dubas

As for the team's roster moving forward, they're currently about $80,000 over the salary cap and that's with Jake Guentzel on long-term injury reserve (LTIR). Dubas admitted that the team may need to drop someone on waivers before the season begin.

"I don't expect anything more major. You can never make any promises. We're six weeks out from camp starting. I think this will be the group."

"We aren't going to be afraid to use waivers to get flexibility... We need to continue to have competition. Right now we have room for 22 on opening night."

- Kyle Dubas

As for Guentzel, he's on LTIR right now, but Dubas maintains that Guentzel will only miss 'the first few' games of the season and won't be eligible for LTIR. That's both a good news and bad news type situation. Obviously the Penguins are a better team with Guentzel in the lineup but... well... they need cap relief. The obvious this to do is to dump Jeff Carter on waivers, but I'm not sure if Dubas has the stomach for such a drastic move at this point. Stay tuned.