Tim Benz: For Penguins, Erik Karlsson trade is a case of 'to thine own self be true'

Speculation surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins’ attempts to acquire San Jose Sharks Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson lasted more than a month.

Initially, I wondered how good of an idea that really was. Especially if the Penguins ended up having to give away multiple first-round draft choices. Thankfully, they didn’t once the three-way deal with San Jose and Montreal was completed Sunday.

WE HAVE BIG TRADE NEWS TO ANNOUNCE ????

The Penguins have acquired defenseman Erik Karlsson, forward Rem Pitlick, forward Dillon Hamaliuk and a 2026 third-round draft pick in a three-team trade involving the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 6, 2023

Over that time, based on glancing at social media, emails to my inbox and calls on talk shows, I got the distinct impression that there was at least a portion of Penguins fans who felt the same way.

The concerns essentially were that the Pens had been working too hard to acquire another guy who replicates what already exists on the team.

• He’s another right-handed, think-offense-first, risk-taker-on-the-blue-line type. He duplicates Kris Letang’s positives but also duplicates some of his negatives.

• Karlsson has a negligible commitment to defense. He doesn’t provide a missing element of toughness or grit on the blue line.

• The deal will just lead to further depletion of any draft picks or prospects they might have in their barren system.

• Acquiring Karlsson will make the salary cap even tighter and more top-heavy.

Basically, those who were against the deal were saying, “Isn’t Karlsson just a more skilled version of what they already have?”

At times, I wondered the same thing.

Until I realized the answer to that question was: Yes. Yes, that’s exactly what Karlsson is.

And that’s exactly why they should make the trade.

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For the Penguins, this is the ultimate example of “to thine own self be true.” So long as Sidney Crosby, Letang and Evgeni Malkin are wearing Penguins jerseys — and so long as Mike Sullivan is coaching them — the team is simply never going to change.

• This franchise is always going to lean on star power. It’s always going to think about offense first, second and third. It’s always going to chase points. The defense is always going to activate and pinch. Score and circumstance are rarely going to matter in their approach.

At least Karlsson coming on board will help them do all those things better and play as fast as Sullivan wants.

• So long as Crosby, Letang and Malkin are on the team, it’s always going to be in “win now” mode, even if getting a fourth Stanley Cup for those guys is an extreme long shot.

At least Karlsson coming on board makes it less laughable of a suggestion.

• If the Penguins had held onto those two draft picks (one in the first round next year, one in the second round of 2025), the first-rounder (and potentially prospect Nathan Legare) probably would’ve just been traded before the deadline of this season anyway in an effort to bolster whatever wheezing breath they had at a Cup run next spring.

At least having Karlsson on board to start the season might put them in a position where they are less desperate for that help in March, especially on the blue line.

Plus, Karlsson should aid Sullivan’s mediocre power play and will provide insurance should Letang’s bad luck with health and injury pop up again in 2023-24.

With Karlsson in Pittsburgh, the Pens now can play the way they want to play with either him or Letang on the ice for 45-50 minutes a game.

Look no further than last summer when the Penguins dealt John Marino and Mike Matheson and replaced them with Jan Rutta and Jeff Petry. Rutta and Petry were supposed to provide more defensive acumen and responsibility. Marino and especially Matheson were viewed as less reliable in those areas in the name of looking to activate or push the puck out of their own zone.

But the Penguins just kept playing the same way regardless of personnel, and it didn’t work. So if they are going to do that, why not do it with a defenseman who put up 101 points last season and can run the power play?

That also might make Letang better in the sense that he might be able to shave a minute or two per game off his ice time, and he might be better suited playing along the left wall of the power play with Karlsson running it up top.

Not to mention, with winger Jake Guentzel injured and likely to miss at least the next 12 weeks, the Penguins are going to need to supplement scoring somehow at the start of the season. If it comes from the blue line instead of the forwards, so be it.

The mentality of this trade really isn’t all that different from when the club doubled down on the skill and speed they had in 2016 and added the likes of Trevor Daley, Justin Schultz and Carl Hagelin to just make themselves even faster.

That worked out pretty well.

Another Stanley Cup result shouldn’t be assumed this year. But the notion of at least winning a playoff series for the first time since 2018 suddenly seems plausible. Meanwhile, a full rebuild for the franchise won’t come until 87, 71 and 58 eventually retire.

So why not add No. 65 to the hockey card collection in the meantime?

I feel like this is where I’m supposed to say, “The Karlsson trade for the Penguins makes sense the more you think about it.”

Actually, I think it’s the other way around. The Karlsson trade makes the most sense the less you think about it.

This is who the Penguins are. They play the way they are going to play. They are going to squeeze every possible win out of the “core three” that they possibly can and will try to jimmy that window of contention open until it slams shut on Fenway Sports Groups’ fingers.

Their DNA is never going to change. A trade such as this one is a case of the Penguins admitting that through action, if not words.

But the words are pretty simple. Acquiring Erik Karlsson is a case of the Penguins being true to themselves.

For better or worse.