Penguins stars working overtime to land Erik Karlsson

The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the downswing of things, as their franchise core trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all on the back ends of their careers after having reached the wrong side of the age of 35.

Former general manager Ron Hextall was somehow able to re-sign both Malkin and Letang after it looked as though both players were heading out the door, and new general manager Kyle Dubas is now running the show and attempting to squeeze every last bit of toothpaste out of the tube before they all call it a career. 

And for whatever reason that's unbeknownst to just about everyone, reigning Norris Trophy winning defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has requested a trade from the rebuilding and basement-dwelling San Jose Sharks, has the Penguins reportedly on his radar along with the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Because Karlsson wants a realistic chance at competing for the Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes would be an ideal destination. The Penguins, however, have their best days behind them. Regardless, the rumors of Karlsson landing in the Steel City continue to swirl.

And those rumors aren't going away, especially after the recently released report that Crosby and Letang have both given the thumbs up for a potential acquisition of the Swedish star blue liner. 

Just how much sense would it make for Karlsson to try and chase the Cup on a Penguins team that saw their realistic  championship window close already? Someone may want to let him know that this isn't the Pittsburgh squad that just broke his and the rest of the Ottawa Senators' hearts in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final. 

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