The longer the trade drama around Erik Karlsson drags on — "It's close!" "It's stalled!" — the more likely it feels that the San Jose Sharks will not maximize the value they get in return for the reigning Norris Trophy winner.

(Karlsson himself recently received the Victoria Award in Sweden on July 14, joining fellow Swedish hockey players Henrik Lundqvist, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Peter Forsberg, and Stefan Persson to be honored by the Crown Princess of Sweden.)

There are numerous reasons for this situation, with the most evident one being the player's cap hit. It has been widely discussed that the Sharks are open to retaining a portion of that salary, which would bring the player's average annual value (AAV) to somewhere around $8-8.5 million. Nevertheless, it is still a substantial fin