I agree that whoever trades for Karlsson should give up really good pieces even if its not for an extension, but people have to realize the situation here and why there is difference between the values. 1 is a rental while the other is not. A signed Karlsson is worth a ton. However I think what also makes this murky is the idea out there that Karlsson doesnt want to re-sign in Ottawa. At least with their owner being there he wants out. That takes value off of him from in this way as well. So I dont think Ottawa gets as good a deal as they think they should in this scenario either. I mean either way Ottawa is not going to get an amazing return for Karlsson. A re-signed one should still bring back more than a rental but how much is a decent question to ask considering how much leverage Ottawa actually has. Their only leverage is being able to play proposals off of each other. That could lessen as we move closer to the season.
As the offseason is about a month or so from ending and training camp comes around a lot of those teams he was (reportedly) willing to re-sign with have moved on. So the return wont be as good. However, a deadline deal I think could be as good but probably not better than a deal what a signed Karlsson would get. Look at what TB gave for McDonagh [2 firsts (1 being conditional) and 2 good but not great prospects] and its probably around that as a deadline deal. Could be less since he is only a rental for the playoffs. So I dont know what Ottawa thinks they can max out on Karlsson right now but its definitely lower than what it was at the deadline last year and maybe even the draft too. Ottawa screwed this up. They might not ever get a Glass, Sergachev, or Heiskanen type prospect in this deal again. It would take a desperate team and I think teams are getting less desperate now days. It costs a lot to be desperate.
