It's late August, teams haven't dropped a puck yet, and somehow the Maple Leafs are already the center of a trade rumor. Sportsnet's 32 Thoughts dropped a surprise episode Tuesday and Elliotte Friedman used it to plant a flag: if Erik Karlsson ever hits the market, Toronto is the team.
Erik Karlsson ➡️ Toronto? In a surprise edition of 32 Thoughts, @sportsnetkyle and @FriedgeHNIC break down the latest from around the league. 🎧: t.co/5gqXx41hdj
Here's the framing, according to Friedman's reporting: Karlsson is entering the final year of the 8-year, $92 million deal he signed back in San Jose, carrying an $11.5 million cap hit for Pittsburgh. A source reportedly told Friedman that if Karlsson's no-movement clause ever gets waived and he becomes available, Toronto is where he lands — full stop.
The connective tissue matters here. Daniel Alfredsson, a mentor to Karlsson going back to their days together in Ottawa, is now on the Leafs' coaching staff. And this isn't the first time Toronto has circled Karlsson — former GM Kyle Dubas reportedly tried to land him before, so the interest predates this rumor cycle by years.
None of this is imminent. Karlsson is coming off a resurgent season that helped push Pittsburgh back into the playoff picture, which cools off any urgency to sell. But he's a pending UFA, and with only around $5 million in real salary owed against that $11.5 million cap hit this year, he becomes exactly the kind of short-term rental a cap-strapped contender like Toronto could stomach giving up picks for at the deadline.
That's the bet Friedman is making — not that it happens tomorrow, but that if Pittsburgh's season slips and Karlsson's no-movement clause comes off the table, Toronto is first in line. For a fanbase that's watched every offseason rumor get picked apart for the last two decades, this one at least has real names, real numbers, and a real mentor already in the building attached to it.