No one is ever happy with a return for a franchise player.
That's the insanity of how Ottawa is operating, but they have no other play. The return for the best Dman in the league is never going to be enough.
Ask the Islanders fans how happy they are with the return they got for Tavares.
They'd be partying in the streets if they could have cashed him in for Foote, Cirelli, Johnson and a 1st.
Ottawa fans are in denial about the situation they are in, IMO. In 12 months, Karlsson walks for nothing, just like Tavares did. Teams know this. Until Karlsson agrees to sign an extension with the team who trades for him, the offers are going to be horrific.
This has nothing to do with Karlsson's "value" or "talent." It has everything to do with teams not willing to gut their farm or remove their best young players for only ONE guaranteed year of Karlsson. Sens fans need to truly understand that, or they will be miserable.
If Karlsson was under contract for 3-4 more years, the Sens would get a massive haul for him. But he's not. He's a pending UFA with no term and (at least as of now) is content with going to market.
The worst thing Dorion / Melnyk did was not trade Karlsson last year at the deadline, so the team acquiring him had TWO playoff runs out of him at the very least. Now they are stuck with an expiring asset with no term or leverage in a trade.
Anyone thinking the Sens are getting a Point, Sergachev, Heiskanen, Glass, etc. for Karlsson is only fooling themselves. If Karlsson is truly emotionally set on signing in Tampa next summer, they can sit on their hands, do nothing, and sign him for free the way the Leafs did Tavares.
If Vegas or Dallas is willing to give up good assets for a one-year rental, that's on them. Let their GM's put their careers on the line.