Erik Karlsson could be a perfect fit for the Detroit Red Wings

The offseason chaos for the Detroit Red Wings is set to begin now that the Stanley Cup playoffs are over with the Vegas Golden Knights winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. One name to keep an eye on this offseason is Erik Karlsson who is going into his 15th season, the Red Wings could be a perfect fit for someone like Karlsson as the Red Wings are looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Key Points:

• The offseason is set to begin for the Detroit Red Wings.
• The Vegas Golden Knights secured their first Stanley Cup Championship last night.
• Erik Karlsson may be a perfect fit for the Detroit Red Wings.
• Red Wings are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Red Wings Pros for Erik Karlsson

Karlsson is a solid player on the blue line and can add scoring to a team that ranked 24th in the league in goals per game with 2.89. Last season Karlsson played in all 82 games for the San Jose Sharks and recorded 101 points, it’s the first time in his career he has recorded 100 points or more. The Red Wings have not had a 100-point player since Sergei Fedorov got 107 points during the 1995-96 season, and the Red Wings have never had a defenseman record 100 points in their entire franchise’s existence. Karlsson’s points came off 25 goals and 76 assists last season and in his career, Karlson has 518 points coming on 126 goals and 392 assists.

Red Wings Cons for Erik Karlsson

If Karlsson becomes a Red Wing it would block one of the young prospects they currently have from making it to the NHL, as Karlsson has four years left on his current contract that he signed with the Sharks back on June 17, 2019. Adding Karlsson would also halt the growth of Moritz Seider as Seider would be bumped from the first power play unit and first defensive pairing down to the second, is that something the Red Wings might be willing to do with their young star?

Bottom Line for the Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings have an abundance of draft capital after making trades the past few seasons which could be used to acquire a player that will end the rebuild and get the Red Wings back to the playoffs, it could even be multiple players. Karlsson makes a lot of sense for the Red Wings to try and go get from the Sharks, it remains to be seen what it would take for them to land him but it could be two picks and a prospect that gets this deal done. If Steve Yzerman is able to get the Sharks to also retain some of Karlsson’s salary this deal seems like a no-brainer for the Red Wings and the trigger should be pulled as soon as possible. What do you think should the Red Wings go get Erik Karlsson?