Friday Poll: Should the Penguins trade for Erik Karlsson? Will they?

Reports have the Penguins in the mix for Karlsson but it’s all just rumors for now.

Just over a week since the NHL Draft and just under a week since the start of NHL free agency and the action has started to die down a bit as the first week of July comes to a close. This is typically the time of year where, with most of the major moves out of the way, things begin to slow down.

That will still be the case for many teams around the league, but there is still a bit of big business to take care of and it involves the Pittsburgh Penguins and their rumored interest in acquiring defenseman Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks.

This topic was discussed here at Pensburgh earlier this week and since then there hasn’t been much reported movement on the Karlsson front but until we are told otherwise it’s safe to assume the Penguins are still an interested party.

Josh Yohe of The Athletic published a piece on Thursday in support of the move, labeling it exactly the type of move the Penguins need.

From Yohe:

Karlsson is pure electricity. A future Hall of Famer looking to mesh with a handful of other Hall of Famers? Yes, please.

The presence of Kyle Dubas has provided hope. But that locker room, and by extension the fan base, needs something to get excited about, some kind of spark. Karlsson is that guy. He’s a magician, a power-play genius, the greatest offensive defenseman we’ve seen since Paul Coffey. This is a franchise that only wins hockey games because of its ability to score. It’s in the DNA. This isn’t a team that’s ever going to 2-1 its way to a championship. The Penguins could have Karlsson or Kris Letang on the ice around 80 percent of the time. That means the Penguins would have the puck. A lot. Having the puck a lot is a good way to win a Stanley Cup.

My two cents on the issue are that I agree with Yohe and seemingly most of the fan base on the idea of adding Karlsson. It’s surely a complicated trade to make and will likely involve a third team if reports are to be believed, but if a deal presents itself and Kyle Dubas can make it happen, then you make it happen and don’t think twice.

While over 80% of respondents said ‘Yes’ on Yohe’s twitter to poll to trading for Karlsson, that still left 20% in the ‘No’ camp. That made me wonder what Pensburgh readers thought of the idea and now you have your chance to weigh in.

It’s pretty straightforward, let us know whether you are for or against bringing in the reigning Norris Trophy winner along with your thoughts as to whether a deal will actually get done or all this excitement will be for naught in the end.