Should Sharks retain big money to trade Karlsson?

There has always been a general understanding that if the San Jose Sharks were willing to trade defenseman Erik Karlsson, they would have to retain a significant amount of money on his contract, which carries an $11.5 million cap hit for the next four years.

A Karlsson deal wouldn't work for the Edmonton Oilers unless the Sharks retain between $4 million and $5 million, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said Saturday night.

That would reduce the average annual value of Karlsson's deal, which lasts through the 2026-2027 season, to between $6.5 and $7.5 million – a much more digestible figure for the Oilers or any NHL team, for that matter.

Presumably, the more the Sharks retain in any Karlsson trade, the more they would get in return.

It is unclear if Sharks general manager Mike Grier would be open to such a move, as it would likely depend on what San Jose would get in return.

In January, the two teams reportedly discussed a deal for the two-time Norris Trophy winner, but those talks did not get very far. Some reports suggested the Sharks were willing to retain between 18 and 20 percent of Karlsson's contract but wanted three firstround draft picks in return.

Earlier Saturday, TSN's Chris Johnston tweeted that the Sharks and the Oilers had reengaged in trade discussions regarding Karlsson – an indication, perhaps, that both sides might be willing to meet somewhere in the middle.

The Oilers are in the market for a puck-moving defenseman, Friedman said, and they likely wouldn't be able to do much better than Karlsson, who is on pace to become the first NHL defenseman in over 30 years to score 100 points in a season.

Going into Sunday's Sharks game with the Washington Capitals, Karlsson leads all NHL defensemen with 17 goals, 53 assists, and 70 points. He leads the league – regardless of position – with 52 even strength points.

Karlsson plays over 25 minutes per game and has scored or assisted on 43 percent of the Sharks' goals this season.

That's a huge hole to try and fill. Could take years.

So does a Karlsson trade that involves 40 percent retention of his contract make sense for the Sharks organization, who might not want to enter a protracted rebuild that lasts another two or three years?

If they stay on their same trajectory, the Sharks will likely wind up with a firstround pick in the top six or seven, with a small chance of moving up to nos. 1 or 2 in the draft lottery. Trading Karlsson and pending RFA Timo Meier would likely net two more first-round picks this year, likely in the 20th to 30th overall range.

MLB

`GHOST RUNNER' IN EXTRA INNINGS MADE PERMANENT BY MLB >>

Starting extra innings with a runner on second base during the regular season was made a permanent rules change by Major League Baseball on Monday after three seasons of use during the coronavirus pandemic.

Known by some as the “Ghost Runner” and by others as the “Manfred Man” after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, the rule was unanimously adopted by the sport's 11-person competition committee.

Use of position players as pitchers also was tightened by the committee. They will be limited to extra innings, when a player's team is losing by eight or more runs or is winning by 10 or more runs in the ninth inning. Last year, a position player could pitch only in extra innings or if his team was losing or winning by six or more runs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS OWNER TED LERNER DIES AT 97 >>

Ted Lerner, the billionaire real estate developer whose family bought the Washington Nationals in 2006, has died, the team announced. He was 97.

A Nationals spokesperson said Lerner died Sunday of complications from pneumonia at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Lerner's group purchased the Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006 for $450 million after the team was moved to the U.S. capital from Montreal. He was managing principal owner until ceding that role to son Mark in 2018.

Under the Lerners' ownership, the Nationals went from one of baseball's worst teams in their first several seasons in Washington to World Series champions in 2019. The Lerners also are credited with revitalizing the city's Navy Yard area since Nationals Park opened in 2008.

Men's basketball

ALABAMA HOOPS NO. 1 IN AP TOP 25 FOR FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS >> Alabama is the new No. 1, rising to the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll for the first time in 20 years.

Purdue's loss to Northwestern last week caused a jumble at the top of the AP

Top 25 and that helped the Crimson Tide.

Alabama received 38 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday, moving up two spots to leapfrog No. 2 Houston. The Cougars had 22 first-place votes to remain at No. 2 and Purdue, down to No. 3, still had two first-place votes.

NEW MEX ST CANCELS SEASON AFTER SEX, HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS >> New Mexico State called off the rest of its men's basketball season Sunday after reviewing a police report that cited three players for false imprisonment, harassment and counts of criminal sexual contact against a teammate.

In a statement, chancellor Dan Arvizu said “this action is clearly needed, especially after receiving additional facts and reviewing investigation reports related to the hazing allegations involving student-athletes on the team.”

The campus police report, obtained by the Associated Press, redacted the names of the players involved. The report, filed Friday, detailed the victim telling investigators that last Monday, three members of the team held the victim down “removed his clothing exposing his buttocks and began to `slap his (buttocks).' He also went on to state that they also touched his scrotum.”

The victim told police he had no choice but to let this happen “because it's a 3-on-1 type of situation.”

Women's basketball UNLV RANKED FOR FIRST TIME IN 29 YEARS >>

UNLV is back in the The Associated Press Top 25 women's college basketball pollfor the first time since 1994: UNLV entered the poll at No. 23.

South Carolina earned the No. 1 ranking for the 34th consecutive week. That is tied for the thirdlongest run atop the poll with UConn. Only the Huskies (51 weeks) and Louisiana Tech (36) have had longer streaks at No. 1.

Soccer

UEFA BLAMED FOR NEARDISASTER AT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL >>

UEFA-appointed investigators have held European soccer's ruling body mostly responsible for chaotic security failures at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris that put the lives of Liverpool and Real Madrid fans at risk.

“It is remarkable that no one lost their life,” the investigation panel wrote in a 220-page document published Monday into a near “mass fatality catastrophe” at the biggest club game in world soccer.