Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports that representatives for the Pittsburgh Penguins who've been in contact with Karlsson are «confident» that Pittsburgh is where he wants to be traded to, and that there are «multiple plans» for securing his services once a trade is ready to be made with the Sharks.
Given the Penguins relative instability on the back end, not to mention Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin surely wanting one last shot at a Cup in a Penguins jersey, this makes for an interesting fit for Karlsson. Another rumoured contender for acquiring him is the Carolina Hurricanes, who are stacked on defense — perhaps one of their younger d-men goes to San Jose in return?