Stars GM Reportedly Scoffs at Trading for Erik Karlsson

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff hopes have been dashed. A few bad losses in the last three games have effectively taken away hope for another furious charge to the end. Now, players are fighting for jobs both with the Penguins and to be seen by others around the league while the NHL trade rumor chatter swirls around them.

However, there is one potential destination that is not interested in an Erik Karlsson trade.

There are eight days until the official March 7 trade deadline, but the Dallas Stars will not be making a pitch for Karlsson, tepid, strong, or otherwise.

According to Dallas reporter Sean Shapiro, Dallas GM Jim Nill had no interest in entertaining that connection recently made by Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

“The Stars are not going to be trading for Erik Karlsson,” tweeted Shapiro. “Jim Nill kind of scoffed at that and asked me to show him where he can afford $11.5 million in cap space for 3 seasons without having to lose some of the younger players getting raises during that time.”

The Stars are not going to be trading for Erik Karlsson. Jim Nill kind of scoffed at that and asked me to show him where he can afford $11.5 million in cap space for 3 seasons without having to lose some of the younger players getting raises during that time.

— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 25, 2025

Karlsson played for Dallas coach Peter DeBoer for one season in San Jose. However, as Friedman also noted during his podcast, that season wasn’t always harmonious.

Read More: Kingerski: It’s Time to Trade Erik Karlsson

Karlsson flashed his three-time Norris Trophy-winning form with Team Sweden, creating a buzz around hockey but raising questions about why he hasn’t consistently shown the same assertiveness with the Penguins.

“We want him to take what the game gives him. We want him to drive offense, but he’s got to do it the right way,” said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. “He also has to defend because it’s hard to win if you don’t. You know, when Karl plays a spirited game, and he competes on both sides of the puck, he’s a difference-maker.”

Karlsson has 40 points in 60 games this season, including 34 assists. He has two seasons after this one remaining on his contract, but Nill and Shapiro erred slightly. Karlsson’s current salary cap hit is only a few dollars shy of $10 million because the San Jose Sharks held back about $1.5 million during the trade on Aug. 6, 2023.

The Penguins traded away Jeff Petry, Mikael Granlund, Casey DeSmith, Jan Rutta, Nathan Legare, and their 2024 first-round pick and their 2025 second-round draft pick in exchange for Karlsson and salary retention.