BS Meter on the Latest NHL Draft, Trade, and Free-Agency Rumors

With the Western Conference Final decided and the Eastern Conference Final ongoing, the 2026 Stanley Cup Final is on the horizon. Meanwhile, the teams out of the playoff picture continue to prepare for the 2026 NHL draft on June 26-27, the resumption of trade activity, and the start of free agency on July 1.

As more teams fell by the wayside in this postseason, the rumor mill churned with speculation about their offseason plans.

Some could make cost-cutting deals to free up salary-cap space. Several might attempt to move up in the first round of the draft order. Others could be preparing to make moves in the trade market to address a line-up weakness, while some cap-strapped clubs could risk losing a valuable player to an offer sheet.

Which of the rumors should we believe? Follow along as we use our BS Meter to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Could the Blues, Blue Jackets and Flames Attempt To Move Up in the Draft Order?

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The draft lottery was held on May 6 to determine the top 16 teams in this year's draft order. The remainder of the order is being decided over the course of this postseason.

It was the Toronto Maple Leafs that landed the first-overall pick, followed by the San Jose Sharks in the No. 2 spot, Vancouver Canucks at No. 3, the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 4, and the New York Rangers with the fifth-overall selection.

Those clubs are unlikely to give up those picks via trades because it gives them the best chance to land a future star. Still, some of the teams below them in the first-round order could attempt to move up by swapping picks.

Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis speculated on May 22 that the Columbus Blue Jackets could try to trade up in the order. They have the 14th overall pick, and Ellis thinks they want to make a splash and be competitive sooner instead of later.

The St. Louis Blues sit at No. 11 in the draft order. On May 22, TSN's Darren Dreger appeared on the Hockey Sense with Andy Strickland podcast, during which he claimed that the Blues are hoping to trade up in the order.

According to Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Calgary Flames are also looking at trading their way to a higher pick. Appearing on the Daily Faceoff Live podcast on May 21, Pagnotta said they wanted to move up from sixth overall.

BS Meter: Not BS, But Difficult To Do

The higher these clubs try to move, the more difficult it becomes because teams at the top of the draft order have access to better prospects and a greater chance of landing a future franchise player. The Flames have the strongest odds of moving up because of where they currently sit in the order.

Will the Minnesota Wild Pursue a Center This Summer?

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Bill Guerin

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin surprised the hockey world last December by acquiring superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. That move powered the Wild to third overall in the Western Conference with 104 points, and their first postseason series victory since 2014-15.

However, the Wild were eliminated from the second round by the Colorado Avalanche. Following that round, Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic reported Guerin could revisit his efforts to acquire a scoring center.

Russo and Smith cited NHL sources claiming Guerin made a pitch to the St. Louis Blues for Robert Thomas at the trade deadline. He reportedly offered up promising youngsters Jesper Wallstedt and forward Danila Yurov, but the Blues refused. Nevertheless, they think Guerin might try again to land Thomas.

Dane Mizutani of The Pioneer Press believes Guerin must find that first-line center no matter what it takes, even at the cost of someone like Wallstedt. He believes that move is vital for the Wild's hopes of becoming a Stanley Cup champion.

BS Meter: Not BS

Guerin might not be successful in prying Thomas away from the Blues. However, he will do everything he can to find a suitable center for his first or second lines, even at the risk of sacrificing more future assets to do so.

Could the Vegas Golden Knights Lose Pavel Dorofeyev To An Offer Sheet?

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Pavel Dorofeyev

Having advanced to the Cup Final, the Vegas Golden Knights are focused on their next opponent.

However, as they prepare for what they hope will be their second championship since 2023, they also face the possibility of losing a key player to an offer sheet this offseason.

Pavel Dorofeyev has emerged over the past two years as a reliable scoring winger for the Golden Knights. He led them with 35 goals in 2024-25 and 37 goals this season. The 25-year-old winger is also tied with teammate Brett Howden for the lead among this year's postseason scorers with 10 goals.

Dorofeyev is due to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1. He's completing a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.84 million. Given his production, he is in line for a significant raise, but the Golden Knights' limited cap space could make it difficult to re-sign him.

The Golden Knights will have over $12 million this summer if sidelined defenseman Alex Pietrangelo remains on long-term injury reserve. However, they must also re-sign UFA-eligible defenseman Rasmus Andersson. That limited cap space could make Dorofeyev a tempting target for an offer sheet.

BS Meter: Not BS

If Dorofeyev is open to signing an expensive offer sheet, the Golden Knights would have difficulty matching it, especially if they end up re-signing Andersson to a raise of over $7 million annually on July 1. They can exceed the salary cap by 10 percent in the offseason, but must be cap compliant when the regular season begins.

Darnell Nurse for Morgan Rielly?

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Darnell Nurse (left) and Morgan Rielly

The Toronto Maple Leafs plummeted from first place in the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 to 28th in the overall standings this season, ending their nine-year playoff streak. As the roster underwent management and coaching changes, trade rumors arose regarding veteran Leafs such as Morgan Rielly.

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers were eliminated from the opening round of this postseason by the Anaheim Ducks. This was a disappointing outcome for a club that hoped to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year. It prompted speculation about the future of veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse.

Rielly and Nurse are high-paid, big-minute defensemen who have struggled over the past two years with their current clubs. While most of the trade rumors involving them suggest trading them in cost-cutting moves, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal recently suggested a swap of both blueliners.

Matheson noted both defensemen are signed through 2029-30. He also pointed out that Nurse was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and grew up with Maple Leafs forward Max Domi. While both players carry full no-movement clauses, he felt that a change of scenery might help them.

BS Meter: It's BS

It's unlikely that either player would agree to this. This proposal is essentially moving two expensive veterans whose best seasons seem to be behind them. Any advantage would go to the Oilers, because they would free up $1.75 million annually by taking on Rielly's lower cap hit.

Will the Dallas Stars Shed Salary To Re-Sign Jason Robertson?

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Re-signing Jason Robertson is the priority facing Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill. The 26-year-old winger is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights who is also a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility.

Robertson is completing a four-year contract with an average annual value of $7.8 million. He's been the Stars' leading scorer during that period with 365 total points, sitting ninth among all NHL scorers in that category. That puts him in line for a substantial raise on a long-term contract.

Given his production, Robertson could seek a deal similar to the $12 million annual average value that teammate Mikko Rantanen is earning on the eight-year contract he signed with the Stars last season. However, the Stars have $10.1 million in salary-cap space for 2026-27.

On May 13, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News speculated the Stars could trade away a player or two to free up salary-cap space to re-sign Robertson. She suggested forwards Radek Faksa and Sam Steel and defensemen Ilya Lyubushkin and Tyler Myers as cost-cutting trade candidates.

BS Meter: Not BS

The Stars' offense would suffer a significant blow if they fail to re-sign Robertson, whose production would be difficult to replace. At least two of those players mentioned by Assimakopoulos could be shipped out in the coming weeks to clear enough cap room for Robertson's next contract.

Stats and standings via NHL.com. Salary cap and contract info via PuckPedia.