BS Meter on Latest NHL Trade and Free-Agency Rumors
It's been over two weeks since the 2023-24 NHL regular season got underway. As per usual at this time of year, the standings remain bunched up, with only a handful of teams showing early signs of pulling away from the pack.
Meanwhile, the NHL rumor mill continues to churn along as pundits muse over potential player movement via trades and free-agent signings.
Interest remains high in free-agent winger Patrick Kane as he continues to prepare for his return to action from an offseason hip resurfacing procedure. Meanwhile, Vancouver Canucks winger Conor Garland has already become a hot topic of trade gossip.
Which of these rumors passes the smell test? Follow along as we go through the most notable speculation to determine which ones pass our BS meter. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts on this topic.
Could the Chicago Blackhawks Make Some Early-Season Trades?
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The Chicago Blackhawks have been rebuilding their roster since Kyle Davidson took over as general manager on a full-time basis in March 2022. He's traded veterans such as Patrick Kane, Marc-Andre Fleury, Alex DeBrincat and Max Domi for assets to put toward building up his club's long-term future.
Most of those players he's traded were potential unrestricted free agents who didn't fit in Davidson's long-range plans. The current Chicago roster carries veterans such as Tyler Johnson, Nick Foligno, Corey Perry, Nikita Zaitsev, Petr Mrázek and Jason Dickinson slated to become UFAs next July.
On Oct. 18, Boston Hockey Now's Jimmy Murphy suggested that Chicago, along with the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets, could make some notable moves before Thanksgiving on Nov. 23. He cited a pro scout claiming Johnson, Zaitsev and defenseman Jarred Tinordi have come up in the trade market.
BS Meter: It's BS...for now.
With so many teams currently carrying limited salary-cap room at this point in the season, Davidson will likely find a better market for those players near the March 8 trade deadline. That's when a number of playoff contenders will have accrued sufficient cap space over the course of the season to make additions to their rosters.
Columbus Blue Jackets Are Trying to Shop a Defenseman
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are carrying eight defensemen on their roster this season. That logjam means Adam Boqvist and Andrew Peeke have become healthy scratches for most of their games thus far.
On Oct. 10, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported sources claimed the Blue Jackets had been engaged in trade talks with several clubs in the hope of moving a defenseman to bring more flexibility to their blue line. He cited Boqvist, Peeke and Jake Bean as trade candidates.
The Athletic's Aaron Portzline followed up on Monday by indicating that Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen continued working the phones in shopping one of his defensemen. He also took note of Boqvist and Peeke seeing little action so far this season.
BS Meter: Not BS
Portzline noted that David Jiříček has supplanted Boqvist and Peeke on the Jackets' blue line. He's the only one who doesn't need to clear waivers to be sent to the minors, but he's earned his spot on their roster. The difficulty is finding a club that can afford Boqvist's $2.6 million annual average value through 2024-25 or Peeke's $2.8 million through 2025-26.
Philadelphia Flyers Could Help the Ottawa Senators Clear Some Cap Space
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If there are cap-strapped NHL clubs looking to shed salary, the Philadelphia Flyers should be the team to call. In an Oct. 13 appearance on TSN 1200 in Ottawa, Flyers general manager Daniel Brière said he'd be willing to help those clubs out in the trade market.
The Flyers have less than $1 million in salary-cap space but could free up room by placing players on long-term injury reserve. One of them is Ryan Ellis, as the 32-year-old defenseman's playing career is all but over due to a back injury. If necessary, the Flyers could shift him to LTIR, giving them nearly $6.3 million in wiggle room.
One team that could use some help is the Ottawa Senators. They've been trying to free up cap room to sign restricted free agent Shane Pinto. On Oct. 12, TSN's Darren Dreger reported Senators GM Pierre Dorion had been trying to move winger Mathieu Joseph and had spoken with teams about defenseman Erik Brännström.
BS Meter: Not BS
On Sept. 26, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Flyers were interested in Joseph but wanted a high-level prospect as part of the return or perhaps the first-rounder the Senators received from the Detroit Red Wings in the Alex DeBrincat trade. Dorion could be forced to bend here if the Pinto saga drags on much longer.
Could the Winnipeg Jets Pursue Conor Garland?
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Reports earlier this month indicated the Vancouver Canucks had given permission to Conor Garland's agent to speak with other clubs regarding a possible trade. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets were mentioned among the clubs with an interest in the 27-year-old winger.
On Oct. 18, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun noted that the speculation linking the Jets to Garland appeared to have died down. However, an injury to Jets winger Gabriel Vilardi prompted him to wonder if that might change things.
Vilardi injured his knee during the Jets' 5-1 home loss on Oct. 18 to the Los Angeles Kings. If the 24-year-old forward had gone on long-term injury reserve like Montreal Canadiens center Kirby Dach, Billeck indicated it would've freed up sufficient cap space for the Jets to acquire Garland, especially if the Canucks were willing to retain 30 percent of his $4.9 million cap hit.
BS Meter: It's BS
Billeck wasn't wrong about the potential cap saving for the Jets had Vilardi been sidelined for a long period of time. Unlike Dach, who suffered a season-ending knee injury, Vilardi will be out for four to six weeks with a sprained MCL. With $1.7 million in cap space, they'll have to find another way to land Garland if they're interested in him.
Can the Panthers, Rangers or Stars Afford Patrick Kane?
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Trying to figure out where Patrick Kane will sign has been the favorite guessing game of NHL pundits early this season. The 34-year-old winger is still rehabbing from his offseason hip resurfacing. On Oct. 19, The Athletic's Chris Johnston reported Kane's camp intends to wait until early November before engaging with serious suitors.
Johnston noted that the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers were believed to be among the interested parties. On Oct. 17, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli included the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers (one of Kane's former clubs) in the mix.
On Oct. 20, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman cited a source who raised the possibility of the Dallas Stars signing Kane. They're considered to be a Stanley Cup contender this season and could be a good fit if that's a priority for Kane. Friedman mentioned the Stars' heavy travel schedule given their location as a potential negative.
BS Meter: It's BS
The Panthers, Rangers and Stars could be interested in adding Kane. However, they lack the cap space to outbid clubs flush with salary-cap dollars like the Sabres and Red Wings. The Panthers have some wiggle room with Aaron Ekblad on long-term injury reserve, but they'll need to be cap-compliant when he returns to action later this season.
Salary info and line combinations via CapFriendly.
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