As we make our way through the offseason, there still is a ton of questions to be answered. There are big-name free agents (Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane, Matt Dumba) that have yet to find a home for next season. There are also star players that could/will be traded at some point before October (Connor Hellebuyck, John Gibson, Mark Scheifele). However, there is one star in particular that a decision has to be made on relatively soon, San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson. One contending team that could acquire the services of the reigning Norris Trophy is the Seattle Kraken. Let’s dive in and see why the Pacific Division team should be in play.

Why the Kraken Should Acquire Erik Karlsson

Going into the 2023-24 season, the Seattle Kraken are poised to make a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They are coming off a tremendous season in which they made the postseason for the first time, knocked off the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round and nearly advanced to the Western Conference Final in a hard-fought seven-game series loss in the second round to the Dallas Stars. They have a solid group of veterans like Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz. In addition, their pool of talented youth is impressive with the likes of 2023 Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers, Andre Burakovsky, Eeli Tolvanen and Shane Wright waiting in the wings. Seattle has a roster that is capable of doing damage in the now and in the future.

While the defensive core has been good, adding a star in Karlsson would elevate the backend a ton. As mentioned before, Karlsson is coming off winning the Norris Trophy after an unreal season in San Jose. He finished the 2022-23 season with 25 goals, 76 assists for a whopping 101 points. He is the quarterback of any team’s power play, has the tremendous passing ability and would certainly upgrade the defense overall. Karlsson immediately becomes a true number-one guy on the backend, something that Seattle definitely should want and need.