The 2024-25 season has not gone as planned Pittsburgh Penguins. At 6-9-3, they enter Friday’s action sitting in second-to-last place in the Metropolitan Division despite having played in more games than all but one of the eight teams. The only team behind them in the division, the Columbus Blue Jackets, has taken the ice three fewer times than Pittsburgh.

This brutal start has GM Kyle Dubas already thinking about the future. Lars Eller was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for draft pick compensation and more moves will almost certainly come.

It’s easy to expect players like Marcus Pettersson and Matt Grzelyck – two veterans on expiring contracts – to be on the trade block, but in an ideal world, veterans on big deals who won’t be part of the team’s future like Erik Karlsson , will also be moved.

A big reason why a Karlsson trade is hard to imagine is because of his contract. The 34-year-old is still a solid offensive defenseman, but with a lot of money left on the deal, it’s hard to imagine a team willing to take him on, at least without Pittsburgh retaining a big chunk. Fortunately, Elliotte Friedman on SportsNet showed that a Karlsson deal may not be impossible after all.

“Erik Karlsson? Again, he’s in control. So it’ll be up to him. Look at his contract structure, though. Salary drops from $11 million now to $9 million (2025-26), then $7.5 million (2026-27) ), and San Jose has some retention A large portion of next year’s money is a $5 million signing bonus He was traded from the Sharks to Pittsburgh on August 6, 2023, so if a similar plan is followed, it’s even less of a financial commitment an acquiring team.

While he still makes a big chunk of the change, the structure of Karlsson’s contract makes it easier to move. Money declines, meaning he will earn less as he ages. While he can’t be moved at this year’s trade deadline, he could get dealt over the offseason when his cap hit for next season is less than it is right now.

The Penguins have an out, but Friedman also notes another potential problem with a Karlsson trade in that text.

Friedman states that Karlsson is in control and that a deal is up to him. The reason for that is that he has a complete no-movement clause in his contract. Karlsson can still be traded, but he has to approve any deal.

Now this is not the end of the world. We saw Karlsson waive his no-movement clause to be traded to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2022-23 season, and if Pittsburgh chooses to go into a rebuild, there’s a very decent chance Karlsson would be willing to waive it again if he was shipped to a challenger. Still, the fact that the no-movement clause is there limits what they can do. Karlsson might decide he loves Pittsburgh so much that missing the playoffs doesn’t bother him enough to want out. The power lies entirely in Karlsson’s hands.

If Karlsson were to be traded, it would be a big move. Just two seasons ago, he won the Norris Trophy, winning the award given to the best all-around defenseman. He was on a subpar San Jose Sharks team, but still managed to rack up 101 points. For a defender it is absurd.

His numbers haven’t quite been on par with Pittsburgh, but maybe with a change of scenery we can see him play like the superstar he was just a couple of seasons ago. He can help teams tremendously in need of more offensive production from the blue line.

Karlsson is still a productive player, and his contract will be easier to move, but again, it’s entirely up to him if he can be traded. The Penguins would certainly love to get their money off the books and open up some time for younger players, but that’s far from a guarantee.