The Carolina Hurricanes are interested in acquiring Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports.
Karlsson is in the final campaign of an eight-year, $92-million contract and is scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer. The Penguins are on track to be sellers ahead of this season's trade deadline after a 7-10-2 start.
The Hurricanes pushed to acquire Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks in 2023, but he ended up with the Penguins. His contract includes a full no-movement clause.
Karlsson, 36, leads the Penguins with 19 points in 19 games this season. He's one of the most accomplished defensemen of his generation with three Norris Trophies and five All-Star designations, but his Hall of Fame resume is missing a Stanley Cup.
The Hurricanes are the defending champions and have shown no signs of slowing down in 2026-27 with a 14-3-2 record.
Karlsson's cap hit is $10 million because San Jose retained $1.5 million in the trade to Pittsburgh. Carolina currently has approximately $8.6 million in cap space, per PuckPedia. The Hurricanes have four first-round picks over the next three drafts to seek improvements before the trade deadline.
