Erik Karlsson Has Waived His No-Move Clause for One Canadian Team

Erik Karlsson is one step closer to being traded.

While there remains several hurdles to clear before an Erik Karlsson trade, arguably the biggest one has been cleared. According to NHL Insider Chris Johnston, the Sharks' prized blue-liner has waived his no-move clause for the Edmonton Oilers.

Erik Karlsson is apparently open to waiving his NMC to come to Edmonton, per @reporterchris.— Oilers Daily (@oilersdailyy) February 21, 2023

To some, this is considered a "quiet" trade request. Meaning, Karlsson hasn't explicitly requested a trade but has made it clear that playing for a contender is of interest to him. Surely, joining Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has piqued his curiosities as well.

The Oilers have been in and around Karlsson's services for a while now. The biggest remaining barrier is, as always, making the money work. Per CapFriendly, the Oilers have $0 in salary cap space with $8.3 million assigned to long-term injured reserve.

Aside from that, Edmonton has the pieces to make it work. Their 1st-round pick is in play, they've got a few prospects in Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault, and Luca Munzenberger who could go the other way. It's likely that one or both of Jesse Puljujarvi or Tyson Barrie heads the other way as well.

Edmonton currently holds the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. While they will always be a dangerous team in the playoffs, the Oilers don't exactly inspire confidence top-to-bottom.

McDavid and Draisaitl can always combine for 20 points in a series, but if they can't balance their lineup and - God forbid - keep some pucks out of their net, they will struggle in the postseason. Karlsson helps more with the former than the latter, but he's better than Tyson Barrie.

MUST READ

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Vancouver Canucks' Contract Offer to Brock Boeser Leaks Publicly

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Montreal Canadiens Star Undergoes Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Philadelphia Flyers Officially Looking to Trade Former 39-Goal Scorer

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Evander Kane May Be in His Final Days in Edmonton After Friedman Reveals New Information

Feb 28  |  By Mike Whitaker Maple Leafs Forward Pulls Back Trade Request

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker Brad Marchand Goes Viral for Passionate Video Ahead of Four Nations Faceoff Final

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker David Pastrnak's Latest Comments Suggest Bruins Will Be Big Sellers at the Deadline

Feb 27  |  By Julien Trekker 6-Foot-6 Winger Linked to the New York Rangers at the Trade Deadline

MORE STORIES