CREATED BY SPORTS BETTORS FOR SPORTS BETTORS
LET’S HEAR YOUR STORY
The Edmonton Oilers have just over two weeks before the March 3 trade deadline to bolster their roster ahead of a vital stretch run, and it appears they have their sights set on two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.
The Edmonton Oilers have allegedly been targeting the San Jose Sharks defenseman for much of this season, with the team resuming trade talks last weekend. While nothing appears imminent, discussions between both parties are expected to heat up as the deadline approaches.
But is signing Karlsson the correct decision for the Oilers? More importantly, considering the organization's present financial situation, can they truly afford the NHL's highest-paid defenseman?
Let's begin with the probable match. The 32-year-old blueliner has been one of the most effective offensive defenseman over the previous decade, posting seven 60-point seasons over 14 NHL campaigns — and he's in the middle of the finest campaign of his career.
Karlsson leads all blueliners this season with 18 goals, and his 73 points so far top all defensemen and place him sixth among all skaters in the league. The four-time All-Star is also sixth in average ice time (25:27), 16 positions ahead of Darnell Nurse of Edmonton (23:43).
The Oilers have apparently been looking for a puck-moving defenseman all season, ideally one who can handle a heavy workload. While they've also been connected to Arizona's Jakob Chychrun, another offensive-minded defenseman, Karlsson is likely a better match for Edmonton's win-now mentality.
With 14 NHL seasons under his belt, including six playoff appearances, Karlsson would provide another layer of experienced expertise to Edmonton's locker room, which has been lacking since Duncan Keith's retirement.
With two conference final appearances, one with the Ottawa Senators in 2017 and the other with the Sharks in 2019, the former 15th overall pick understands what it takes to go on a lengthy playoff run and might share that expertise with his teammates.
The disadvantage of choosing such strategy is that future assets would be distributed to two franchises rather than simply one. As a result, the Oilers' prospect system, led by top young defenseman Philip Broberg, and draft capital might be severely strained.
On the other side, if making a splash for Karlsson resulted in at least one Stanley Cup for McDavid and Draisaitl, it could be worth giving up a portion of the franchise's competitive window.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.
