Toronto Maple Leafs rumors: Team prepared to land Erik Karlsson in "most daring trade since Wendel Clark"

Toronto Maple Leafs might start their offseason with a bang. Erik Karlsson, the San Jose Sharks' newly crowned Norris Trophy winner, has been a trade target for some time and has made it clear that he would prefer to be sent to a team in contention.

It was previously reported by Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic that teams such as the Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, and Seattle Kraken have started talking to the Sharks about, perhaps, getting the top defenseman.

Now, according to Eklund on Twitter, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be in the front seat; according to the insider, the Leafs can pull off the most-daring trade since the acquisition of Wendel Clark.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are unquestionably the team that would require the greatest assistance from salary retention to complete a trade.

With defenseman Jake Muzzin set to go on long-term injured reserve, they should have about $14.75 million in cap space, but they still need to fill, at least, five forward positions on the roster and re-sign goaltender Ilya Samsonov.

Even while it may sound odd, a deal may include T.J. Brodie, who has a $5 million cap cost locked in for next season and is a UFA in 2024. He would effectively be replaced by Karlsson in the starting lineup.

This, however, hasn't been confirmed by many sources yet. Hence, there is still uncertainty about what steps the Toronto Maple Leafs will take to get Erik Karlsson.

Erik Karlsson can be a fantastic asset for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving might make space for Erik Karlsson.

Erik Karlsson had a fantastic season. He finished the campaign with 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists), becoming the sixth defender in NHL history to do so and the first since Brian Leetch, who did so in 1991–1992.

He finished fourth in even-strength points (74) and 11th overall in the league in terms of points.

Karlsson previously won the Norris Trophy in 2011–12 and 2014–15 while playing with the Ottawa Senators.

Along with Paul Coffey, who won the Norris Trophy twice (once with the Edmonton Oilers in 1985–86 and again with the Detroit Red Wings in 1994–95), he is the second player to spend more than eight years between victories.

Karlsson spent his first nine NHL seasons with Ottawa, where he made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times and reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2017.

On September 13, 2018, Ottawa moved him to San Jose. In his first season there, the Sharks advanced to the Western Conference Final before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup winner St. Louis Blues in six games.

The Sharks, on the other hand, have not appeared in the playoffs since, and recent seasons have seen several team mainstays leave, including forwards Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton, as well as defender Brent Burns.

Erik Karlsson has made it known that he wants to be dealt, but according to Grier, the Sharks won't just hand him over.