Because of what appears be a serious injuryPittsburgh Penguins star defenseman Erik Karlsson is now on injured reserve (IR) for at least two more weeks. That could open up trade talks involving the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While trade talks likely won’t be specific to Karlsson, if he’s unavailable to the Penguins and they start to fall in the standings, GM Kyle Dubas could look to sell before the trade deadline, possibly even before the NHL’s Olympic roster freeze.
Karlsson’s absence leaves a huge hole on the Penguins blueline, as not only has he led the Penguins in scoring through 44 games this year (3rd most points on the team with a total of 33 points), but he also leads the team’s blueliners in shots on goal, takeaways, and ice time on the PP, making it very difficult to replace his production.
If beat writer Josh Yohe pointed outThis now puts immense pressure on Kris Letang to take this loss, increasing Letang’s responsibility in the lineup going forward, especially considering Letang’s play has been inconsistent this year.
With Karlsson out for at least two weeks, the Penguins have recalled defenseman Ryan Graves and forward Tristan Broz from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton AHL affiliate, and reassigned Rafael Harvey-Pinard to the AHL. Letang finds himself now the Penguins’ best offensive defenseman; However, it remains unclear who will support him.
The penguins are too fragile to suffer a huge loss
The Peguins are currently just one point outside of a wild card spot, but have lost two games in a row. This team has been up and down all season and a losing streak could take them out of the playoff mix for good. With the roster frozen on February 4 and the trade deadline following shortly thereafter, Dubas can’t sit on his hands. He either has to trade or run.
Due to his injury, Karlsson’s presence will be unavailable for the Penguins for at least seven games; therefore, losing him could put a damper on Pittsburgh’s current scoring drive. The potential for poor play from the Penguins defense could lead management to make trades sooner than expected.
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