NHL fans love to speculate about trades.

What’s a better way to kill time than to think of deals to make your favorite team better? Whether it’s finding a missing piece in your top-six forwards or the extra defenseman who’ll put you over the top, armchair GMs have their ideas to improve their squads.

Guess what? We here at Bleacher Report also love trades, and in this week’s B/R NHL Staff Roundtable, we’re looking at ridiculous trades that could actually work. At first glance, you might cringe, but when you think about it, they make total sense for both parties.

Erik Karlsson to the Maple Leafs

Following the Nov. 15 general managers meeting, San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier told reporters he’s willing to entertain trade offers for Erik Karlsson. The 32-year-old Swede is enjoying his best season in years, leading all defensemen with 37 points in 30 games.

Grier’s comments ensured Karlsson would become the subject of speculation by NHL pundits such as the Toronto Star’s Nick Kypreos. He wondered if the Maple Leafs could get the Sharks to retain part of Karlsson’s $11.5 million cap hit, take on Jake Muzzin’s contract and build a deal around Leafs prospect Matthew Knies.

At first glance, there appear to be too many factors that would sink Kypreos’ trade suggestion.

Assuming the Sharks retain half of Karlsson’s cap hit, it would still be a hefty $5.8 million annually through 2026-27. He also has a full no-movement clause and might not be keen to go to Toronto given the nine seasons he played for the rival Ottawa Senators.

Muzzin is sidelined indefinitely with a cervical spine injury and has another season left on his contract with an annual cap hit of $5.6 million. As for Knies, the Leafs could be reluctant to part with their top prospect.

However, the Leafs are in win-now mode, and general manager Kyle Dubas has a flair for creative moves. Witness his three-team deal at the 2021 trade deadline that brought Nick Foligno to Toronto. He could try to spread out Karlsson’s cap hit by getting a third team involved.

Dubas might be willing to part with Knies for an impact defenseman, especially one with more than a year remaining on his contract.

Trading Karlsson would signal Grier’s intent to rebuild. It would shed a big chunk of Karlsson’s contract from San Jose’s payroll. If Muzzin’s career is over, his cap hit will remain on long-term injured reserve and give the Sharks additional cap room. Acquiring Knies, meanwhile, would bolster their prospect pipeline.