The alleged reason for a Karlsson-to-Penguins trade revealed

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, who is once again the reigning Norris Trophy winner after a spectacular 2022-23 season, is on the trading block after he requested to be moved so that he can have the chance to compete for the Stanley Cup; the rebuilding Sharks are nowhere near championship contention. 

And it was confirmed earlier today by Karlsson himself that he's spoken to a handful of teams that include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, Seattle Kraken, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, a move to Pittsburgh would be a bit odd, considering that their championship window has all but officially closed after having missed the postseason for the first time since Sidney Crosby's rookie year of 2005-06.

There's also the matter that Crosby as well as Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all on the wrong side of 35 years of age. Essentially, this is not the same Penguins team that had just broken the heart of Karlsson and the rest of his former Ottawa Senators teammates in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final en route to their second straight Stanley Cup win. 

Even so, it looks like Karlsson would welcome a trade to the Penguins to try and make the most of whatever is left of the careers of Pittsburgh's famed trio. But according to one source, it's the resistance of defenseman Jeff Petry of the Penguins to be included in a deal for Karlsson that is behind the holdup of a trade: 

(Translated from French)

"And in fact, we know it: the club must get rid of Jeff Petry, a right-handed defender (like Karlsson and Kristopher Letang) who earns a lot and who is not very useful to the club.

The problem? The player does not want to go to San Jose.

Can we blame the player for not wanting to go to San Jose, he who can block a trade to half of the NHL destinations? No, I don't think we can blame him.

I'm not going to throw the first stone at him, in any case.

Whether it's because the Sharks are far out West, because of California's tax rate, because it's a left-wing state (his family is right-wing) or because it's just a long way from Michigan where the family stays, the reasons could be many.

That said, the fact remains that the Penguins player puts his club in trouble. He has the right to do it, but after putting the CH in trouble, he does the same with the Penguins."