Karlsson willing to take a discount to play with Eastern contender after this run

Erik Karlsson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and while he is busy competing for the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference finals against the St. Louis Blues, his agent has other priorities on his mind. 

Earlier this week, Don Meehan went on the air of TVA Sports to talk about this client and his lingering injuries that have been easy to spot on Karlsson since the start of the postseason. 

The veteran blue liner had many issues this season with hip injuries and clearly something has been bothering him since early April at the most crucial time. 

“He’s not 100% and the Sharks knew it as soon as the playoffs started," said Meehan. It will take time before he is back to 100%. All the same, it has been very effective so far. "

Meehan made sure to note that his client was still affective seeing that his services will be up for grabs if he hits the free-agency market. While he has yet to commit to a return and lengthy contract with the Sharks, Karlsson never revealed what his plan would be. 

However, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the New York Rangers were favourites in the race of Karlsson this summer, but revealed that the Tampa Bay Lightning wasn’t far behind on the list. 

While Tampa would need to figure things out against their cap, Johnston mentioned that Karlsson would accept a discount to play with the Lightning  and his good friend Victor Hedman. Tampa is also in a non-tax state so it would be it easier for Karlsson to accept. 

The Sharks will need to compete with the pending offers on the free market, however, if they can go further in the postseason and be successful against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals, the Sharks might be able to hold on to him with some of the champions in San Jose.