Bryan Hayes floats 'wild' Oilers D-pair of Evan Bouchard & $92M Norris Trophy winner

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking at possible partners for a trade for two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. The defenseman has two years left on his eight-year $92 million contract signed with the San Jose Sharks before he was traded to the Pens.

TSN's Travis Yost recently speculated if Karlsson could return to Canada. Karlsson played the first nine seasons of his NHL career with the Ottawa Senators. Apart from the Sens, Yost also named the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers as possible contenders.

Both teams have contender rosters and could do a world of good by signing Karlsson, an offensive D-man. On TSN's "Overdrive," in the "Confirm or Deny" segment, analyst Bryan Hayes brought up the conversation alongside Jason Strudwick and Jonas Siegel.

Hayes initially denied the speculation of the Oilers looking to bring in the Pittsburgh's blue line man. However, he said that Karlsson's potential pairing alongside Evan Bouchard could be an exciting affair.

"Bouchard and Karlsson on the same defense would be pretty wild," Hayes said (11:00).

Strudwick agreed with Hayes, noting that both defensemen can move the puck up the line, providing a lot of offense.

"You know what I like about it? I like the fact those guys can pass the puck and transition it," Stradwick said. "I want speed from my D-men, moving that puck up, getting up in that play, and I like that for that reason."

Karlsson had a 10.2 offensive rating last season. He has averaged 70 points per 82 games in the last three years, but concerns remain about his defensive efforts. Karlsoon had a -3 rating when on the ice during the same stretch.

Frank Seravalli confirms Penguins are looking for a strong return

When the Penguins brought in Erik Karlsson two seasons back, they hoped for better returns as a unit. However, they are facing a decision to move not just him but other experienced players like Bryan Rust and Rikard Rakell. According to Frank Seravalli, Kyle Dubas and the Pens have high expected returns from their trades despite their age.

“‘We are not going to give them away, even if they are older and don’t necessarily fit our age scheme moving forward," Seravalli said on Wednesday, via B/R Open Ice. "We need to get real, significant value in return.’ So, Kyle Dubas has been asking for a ton for both Rust and Rakell, and he is still asking for a lot for Karlsson on the basis that he is going to retain.”

Pittsburgh has a $10 million annual average value hit on Karlsson's contract, which might make him hard to move. The rest of the $1.5 million AAV is retained by the San Jose Sharks.