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NHL trade grades: Penguins swing big with Karlsson deal

Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images

Throughout the spring and early summer, there had been buzz that Erik Karlsson could be traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a bold new move by recently hired president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.

On Sunday, that buzz became reality, as the Pens acquired Karlsson, forwards Rem Pitlick and Dillon Hamaliuk and a 2026 third-round pick, with the San Jose Sharks getting forwards Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta and a top-10-protected 2024 first-round pick, and the Montreal Canadiens get defenseman Jeff Petry, goaltender Casey DeSmith, forward Nathan Legare and Pittsburgh's 2025 second-round selection.

How did the three GMs do in the deal? Here are our grades: