Erik Karlsson and the Toronto Maple Leafs got connected this week in one of the boldest projections of the summer.
Karlsson just posted a real bounce-back year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, putting up 66 points in 75 games with a plus-8 rating.
That's good enough to land him back inside the top 10 in Norris Trophy voting, and it's happening in the final year before unrestricted free agency hits.
Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts this week that a source of his predicted Karlsson eventually becomes a Maple Leaf, depending on how both teams' seasons unfold.
There's real history here too. A previous Leafs GM once tried to trade for Karlsson years ago, long before this specific projection ever came up.
Toronto already brought back two Swedish legends this summer, with Mats Sundin joining as a senior hockey operations advisor and Daniel Alfredsson stepping in as associate coach.
Adding Karlsson would make it three, and Friedman's source apparently sees that connection as part of the pitch.
Why Pittsburgh's own season might decide this before Toronto does
Penguins insider Josh Yohe called a Karlsson trade a "no-brainer" earlier this summer if Pittsburgh struggles by January or February.
"If they aren't having a very good season come January or February, Karlsson should almost certainly be traded, especially if he's performing at a level remotely close to last season's," Yohe said.
Karlsson's $11,500,000 cap hit is the real obstacle here, and any deal would almost certainly need Pittsburgh to retain a chunk of that salary.
Toronto's front office has already prioritized mobility and puck movement on defence, adding Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae this summer to push that identity forward.
Raddysh posted 70 points in 73 games last season, and Andrae chipped in 13 points as a 24-year-old, both fitting that same puck-moving mold Karlsson represents.
Is this realistic right now, or just an insider's educated guess dressed up as a projection? Right now, it's firmly the second one.
Whether it becomes anything more depends entirely on how Pittsburgh's season goes, and that's a story that won't start writing itself until well into the winter.
Do you believe Erik Karlsson eventually becomes a Maple Leaf?
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