Will Erik Karlsson trade open market for Brett Pesce, Noah Hanifin?

It had been almost a month since a higher-profile player in the NHL had been traded, and most would argue that it was the domino that needed to fall to open up the trade market for defensemen. This summer, we have seen names such as Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex DeBrincat and Taylor Hall all moved in trades, but a big-name trade had not been made for a defenseman since the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Damon Severson on June 9.

For the most part, there are two defensemen who may have seen their markets open up due to the Erik Karlsson trade: Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes and Noah Hanifin of the Calgary Flames. Both players’ trade availability is surrounded by different circumstances, and both of their current teams have much different outlooks for next season.

Starting with Pesce, back in June, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that the Hurricanes were intent on moving Pesce this summer if they were unable to come to a contract resolution past this season. About a week later, Cory Lavalette of The Athletic noted that Pesce would likely be seeking a contract in the eight-year, $52M ($6.5M AAV) range, something that Carolina could easily afford, but with Teuvo Teravainen, Martin Necas and Brady Skjei, among others, also needing contracts past the 2023-24 season, it may not be in the team’s best interest.

Although it would be a prudent move both financially and for the future success of the club to move on from Pesce, questions should arise as to if it is in the best interest of the current Hurricanes in accordance with their goals for the 2023-24 season. Carolina is one of the most well-set-up teams to make the Stanley Cup Final next season, and the defensive depth is one of the main reasons for that. For most of the foreseeable contenders in the NHL, teams could do a lot worse than having Anthony DeAngelo as their sixth-best defenseman on the roster.

One of the best comparables to Pesce’s situation might come from a division rival in Severson. Severson spent a total of nine seasons in New Jersey, and even though he was heading toward unrestricted free agency, the Devils held on to him as he gave them a much better chance to win. This summer, the Devils executed a sign-and-trade, inking Severson to an extension and receiving a third-round pick for his services from the Blue Jackets. This may not be the haul that Carolina would be hoping for, but it’s undeniable that Pesce gives the Canes a better chance to win for 2023-24 and may have to seek a sign-and-trade next summer.

Unlike Pesce, Hanifin has already been vocal about his unwillingness to sign an extension in Calgary and would like a change of scenery heading into next year. A solid defenseman on both the power play and penalty kill, Hanifin should likely have a decent market as a two-way defenseman. Currently making just a tad under $5M this season, it’s going to be difficult for a lot of contending teams to absorb that contract even for a short time.

Just to theorize, there is one team that has its eyes on contending next year and could certainly use an upgrade on the left side of its defense. The Buffalo Sabres have already improved their defensive core with the additions of Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson this summer, but an acquisition of Hanifin may put them over the top to get back into the playoffs. The main drawbacks from Buffalo’s perspective in acquiring Hanifin are the current glut of defensemen already on the roster and the pressing extensions of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

With Calgary already having a murky future on its blue line, the Sabres could certainly move back a defenseman or two with team control, and with it all but known that Hanifin wants out, the price may not be too high for his services. If they are able to acquire Hanifin and extend him, the Sabres could be well served in having Dahlin, Power, Hanifin and Mattias Samuelsson in their top four for the foreseeable future.

All in all, we are getting to the point in the summer where the most likely scenario is both Pesce and Hanifin will start the season with their current clubs, but there are some signs indicating changes will be coming soon. All we know for certain is the trade for Karlsson has helped set the market, as well as open it up for any future moves.