Sportsnet drops surprising list of 5 teams who are in to acquire Erik Karlsson

Some defensive depth is still required in Detroit to make the Red Wings one of the top contenders in the Atlantic Division. Unfortunately, this year, not many interesting names hit free agency.

On the trade market, most teams with assets have held on to their players, leaving room for a lot of speculation to grow.

That's the case of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kyle Dubas has a lot of veterans reportedly available, but appears to be holding on to them until the right offer comes.

Among the players who could end up leaving the Pens on a trade is veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Per Sportsnet, the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators have the most chance of getting Karlsson on the trade market.

It makes sense that while the Wings are looking for a defenseman, they didn't make the list, because Steve Yzerman is known to stay true to his ways, and he firmly believes that the Wings' rebuilding will be done with the young players already in the organization, or by adding other young players, not veterans.

Karlsson, 35, is a great player who accomplished great things in the NHL. After all, he scored 870 points in 1084 games with the Senators, San Jose Sharks, and Penguins. But at his age and with two seasons left on his $11,500,000 AAV contract, it's not hard to understand why Yzerman would be reluctant to get him.