The demands of the San Jose Sharks for Erik Karlsson are known and it is completely INSANE

Currently in the NHL, the 32-year-old defenseman is the 7th leading scorer in the league with a sensational 13 goals and 56 points in only 43 games. He has definitely become the Karlsson of his heyday in Ottawa.

Where it gets complicated for the Sharks is that he comes with a hefty $11.5M contract for four more seasons. That's a huge problem when teams are clogged with payroll and the cap may not go up very high for next year.

In connection with a potential trade of the Swedish guard, tipster Frank Seravalli got some very interesting information on San Jose's demands for their star player.

According to Seravalli, Sharks GM Mike Grier would be willing to withhold 18% of Karlsson's salary per year in order to facilitate a trade for him. This means that he would absorb $2.07M per season of the defenseman's contract.

Thus, the team that would acquire the number 65 would receive $9.43M on the payroll, instead of $11.5M. In my opinion, this is clearly not enough to facilitate a transaction, especially since the Sharks' demands are excessive in return for him.

According to Seravalli, Grier would demand no less than three first round picks for his star defenseman.

Jeez!

Notwithstanding the Sharks organization, Karlsson is producing offensively at an elite rate in the NHL this season, but he still carries immense risk factors with his acquisition. He'll be 33 in May, he's signed for four more seasons, and even at $9.43M, that's a huge amount for a team to absorb.

Also, right now, if any NHL team wants to add Karlsson to their roster, it's bound to be a playoff team, but those teams all have very little room under the salary cap to accommodate him.

I have a hard time seeing who could pay that outrageous price and have the space for the defenseman's contract.