Penguins reportedly looking to ditch veteran blue liner

There has been plenty of buzz regarding the future of reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson with the San Jose Sharks, from whom he is looking to move on from and join a contending team that would give him his best shot at winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. 

Surprisingly, he's been linked to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are beginning their downswing having missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006 while the careers of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang start to wind down. 

Meanwhile, the Penguins are reportedly looking to move on from veteran defenseman Jeff Petry, who was not impressive in his first year with the Penguins.

Could Petry be part of a potential Karlsson-to-Pittsburgh deal? Max Miller of The Hockey News suggests a three-way trade between the Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators. 

"San Jose would receive Jeff Petry, with 35% of his salary being retained by Nashville, as well as Mikael Granlund, with 25% of his salary being retained by Pittsburgh.

In addition, San Jose would get Drew O'Connor (a restricted free agent) and the Penguins' first-round choice for the year 2025.

The Penguins, for their part, would receive Erik Karlsson, with the Sharks agreeing to retain half of his salary, or $5.75 million.

And the Preds in this transaction? They would receive Casey DeSmith, draft picks for the years 2024 and 2025, and part of Petry's salary."

The full proposed trade: 

Sharks receive:
Jeff Petry (35% retained through NSH)
Mikael Granlund (25% retained by PIT)
Drew O'Conner
2025 PIT 1st round pick

Penguins receive:
Erik Karlsson (50% retained by SJS)

Preds receive: 
Casey DeSmith 
2024 PIT 4th round pick
2025 SJS 3rd round pick
Jeff Petry (moved to SJS at 35% retained)

It looks like Petry could in fact be a one-and-done in Pittsburgh, especially if he were to be included in an upcoming potential trade. 

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