Sharks Acquire 2024 Pick, Three Players From Pittsburgh in Karlsson Trade

San Jose Sharks (

) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has acquired Pittsburgh's 2024 first-round NHL Draft selection, forward Mikael Granlund, forward Mike Hoffman, and defenseman Jan Rutta in exchange for defenseman Erik Karlsson, Dillon Hamaliuk, and San Jose's 2026 third-round NHL Draft selection. San Jose will retain $1.5 million on Karlsson's contract annually for the next four seasons (approximately 13.04%). If Pittsburgh's selection in 2024 is a Top-10 selection, Pittsburgh can elect to transfer this pick to their 2025 first-round selection.

"While it is always difficult to trade a player of the caliber of Erik Karlsson, this trade accomplishes several goals for our franchise," said Grier. "It adds two forwards to our roster who have proven ability to produce offensively at the NHL level, and solidifies our NHL defense corps. Additionally, acquiring another first round pick gives us the opportunity to continue fortifying our development system with high-end prospects and provides us some financial flexibility to add players as we see fit in the future.

"We want to thank Erik for his contributions in San Jose over the last five years and congratulate him on a remarkable and historic 2022-23 season. We wish Erik, his wife Melinda, Harlow and Stellan all the best in the future."

Granlund, 31, split the 2022-23 season with the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins, appearing in 79 games and recording 41 points (10 goals, 31 assists). After being acquired by Pittsburgh on Mar. 1, 2023, Granlund finished tied for fifth on the team in blocked shots, and recorded five points (one goal, four assists).

Over his NHL career, Granlund has appeared in 750 games, scoring 484 points (145 goals, 339 assists) with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville and Pittsburgh. He set career highs in the 2016-17 season in several offensive categories, including goals (26), points (69), plus/minus (23), power-play goals (tied, 7), and shorthanded goals (3). He was named as a Lady Byng Finalist in 2016-17.

Prior to his NHL career, Granlund primarily appeared in Finland's top league (Liiga) with HIFK. He was named the Finnish Player of the Year in 2011, and helped HIFK win the Liiga Championship, leading all skaters in assists. The season prior, he led the league's rookies in assists (27) and points (40), and was named the Rookie of the Year. In 2008-09, he was named the Finnish Young Athlete of the Year.

Internationally, Granlund has represented Finland at the 2014 Olympic Games, and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team after helping Finland to a Bronze medal finish, the World Junior Championships (2009, 2010, 2012), captained the team in 2012, led the tournament in assists (9) and was named to the WJC All-Star Team, and the World Championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2022). He captained the squad at the 2018 tournament and helped Finland win a Gold medal in 2011 and 2022, and a Silver medal in 2016. He led the 2011 tournament with the most points by a under-20 junior.

Granlund was originally selected by Minnesota in the 2010 NHL Draft (first round, ninth overall).

Hoffman, 33, spent the past two seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. Last year, he collected 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 67 games. He finished fourth on the team in shots (148).

Over the course of his NHL career with Ottawa, Florida, St. Louis and Montreal, Hoffman has posted 464 points (218 goals, 246 assists) in 679 NHL games, including six seasons of 20 or more goals.

Hoffman was originally a fifth round draft selection (130th overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft by Ottawa.

Rutta, 32, appeared in 56 games for Pittsburgh in the 2022-23 season, recording nine points (three goals, six assists) along with a plus-three rating and 30 penalty minutes. Rutta finished fourth on the team in penalty kill time on ice (142:59), and fifth in blocked shots (70), one shy of his career high set the season prior.

Over the course of his NHL career, Rutta has appeared in 294 games, recording 70 points (15 goals, 55 assists) and a plus-49 rating. Rutta is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, helping Tampa Bay win the Cup in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021, and helped the Lightning to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2022. He set career highs in games played (76), assists (15), plus/minus (25), and blocked shots (71) in the 2021-22 regular season.

Internationally, Rutta represented Czechia at the 2017 and 2019 World Championship, appearing in 18 total games and recording four points (two goals, two assists).

Rutta was originally signed by Chicago as a free agent on June 7, 2017.

Acquired by San Jose on Sept. 13, 2018, Karlsson appeared in 293 games with San Jose, recording 243 points (52 goals, 191 assists). Over his NHL career, he has compiled 761 points (178 goals, 583 assists) in 920 games with the Ottawa Senators and Sharks.

Last season, he became the sixth-ever defenseman to reach 100 points in a season and the first since Brian Leetch in 1991-92, finishing the year with 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists), leading NHL defensemen in goals, assists and points, third among the group in takeaways (81) and fifth with 25:37 time on ice per game. He had 74 even-strength points, fourth-best among all NHL skaters this season and seventh-most by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Coffey and Orr. His 1.23 points-per-game clip was the third-best in the past three decades among all defensemen who appeared in five or more games in a given season, trailing only Coffey's 1.29 in 45 games in 1994-95 and Bourque's 1.26 in 72 games in 1993-94.

Karlsson became the second Sharks defenseman to win the James Norris Memorial Trophy (Brent Burns) and ninth-ever NHL defenseman to win award three times in their career.

Hamaliuk, 22, appeared in six games for the Wichita Thunder in the ECHL, scoring seven points (three goals, four assists). He also appeared in 44 AHL games for the San Jose Barracuda in the 2021-22 season, recording nine points (three goals, six assists).

Prior to his professional career, Hamaliuk appeared in 192 career Western Hockey League games (WHL) for the Seattle Thunderbirds and Kelowna Rockets, recording 110 points (48 goals, 62 assists). Hamaliuk was originally selected by San Jose in the 2019 NHL Draft (second round, 55th overall).