Oilers linked to Erik Karlsson for a 2nd time this season.

The Edmonton Oilers have been linked to a potential blockbuster trade.

On Saturday, National Hockey League insider Chris Johnston reported that the Edmonton Oilers and the San Jose Sharks have once again picked up trade talks regarding Sharks star defenseman Erik Karlsson. This is believed to be the 2nd time that these two teams have seriously discussed the prospect of such a trade and as such it stands to reason that the Oilers and Oilers general manager Ken Holland have a genuine appetite for such a move.

Pulling off a trade of this magnitude will prove to be incredibly tricky however given that Karlsson currently commands one of the largest cap hits in the entire NHL. Karlsson is currently only in the 4th year of an 8 year deal he signed with the Sharks in June of 2019, one that carries an average annual value of $11.5 million per season.

Although this is likely a smaller consideration for a successful franchise like the Edmonton Oilers, it's also worth noting that Karlsson's contract was heavily front loaded in terms of actual dollars. This means that the Oilers would only be on the hook for $39 million in salary over the final 4 years of the deal, in spite of the contract representing $46 million in terms of cap dollars.

In order to make such a contract work with their extremely limited cap space, the Oilers would assuredly need the Sharks to do a significant amount of salary retention in this trade as well. It should then come as no surprise that The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta is reporting that the ask from the Sharks is a massive package, one that begins with a number of first round draft selections.