B.S. Meter on the Latest NHL Trade Rumors

It's that time of year in the NHL.

A quarter of the season is in the books. The wheat is being separated from the chaff. And executives across the league are starting to ponder exactly what it will take for them to take part in a summertime parade—or simply to keep their jobs come season's end.

A key date in that process is March 21—the trade deadline.

And though it's still better than three months away, there's no doubt that the deals that will take place in the final hours leading up to it are in the germination stage as we approach the Christmas holiday.

Some moves will be expected. Some will be stunning. And let's face it, some buzz will contain plain old B.S.

Which can only mean one thing: It's B.S. Meter time!

The B/R hockey team got together to scan the up-to-the-minute rumors in order to apply a tag indicating how close each suggestion is to happening.

Read on to see what we came up with, and let us know how we did with a line or two in the comments section.

Edmonton Gets a Blueliner

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Believe it or not, it's only been 12 days.

When the NHL's scheduled games for December 1 came to a close, the Edmonton Oilers—who were 5-2 winners over the Pittsburgh Penguins that night—had a 16-5 record and the league's best win percentage.

All of a sudden, though, it seems a generation ago.

The early-season optimism in northern Alberta has all but evaporated across the five games since, with the Oilers losing all of them, including four on home ice, while being outscored 19-8.

The skid has triggered all manner of doomsday chatter in the city, not to mention rumors about the myriad ways in which general manager Ken Holland could help the team regain its mojo.

Among them is gauging the market for a defenseman to bolster a beleaguered and injury-riddled blue-line corps. A frequent name connected to that chatter is the Montreal Canadiens' Ben Chiarot, a 6'3", 234-pounder in the final season of a three-year contract that's paying him $3.5 million annually.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman made it a topic of discussion during a recent appearance on The Jeff Marek Show, and the urgency for Holland to pull the trigger has only increased now that the Oilers have tumbled from their penthouse perch into the thick of the Pacific Division mix.

The suggested asking price of either a first-round pick alone or a second- and a third-rounder (or a prospect) combined seems a trifle steep for a six-month rental, but the struggle to keep superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl happy and bought-in is real enough to prompt a desperation move.

B.S. Meter: Not B.S.

If the slide continues, this one happens sooner rather than later. If not, it will happen at the deadline.

Evgenii Dadonov Leaves Las Vegas

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

It's not the worst problem an NHL executive has ever had.

Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon swung the season's biggest deal when he pried a disgruntled Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres for two players and two draft picks, and the Golden Knights will reap the rewards when the 25-year-old comes off long-term injured reserve sometime after the All-Star break.

That said, his arrival will cause some bookkeeping issues.

Among them is the fact that Eichel's annual $10 million salary will come with him when he returns to the active roster, which means a team that's already stretched to the salary cap without 2015's second overall pick is going to burst at the financial seams with him.

It will necessitate some quick and creative movement on McCrimmon's part, and one piece it's been suggested he's considering losing is winger Evgenii Dadonov. The 32-year-old arrived in Vegas as part of an offseason trade with the Ottawa Senators but hasn't found a consistent niche, scoring eight times in 27 games.

He's earning $5 million per year and is signed through 2022-23, which makes him a prime target to help with the space-clearing once Eichel returns. Owen Krepps of Vegas Hockey Now made the case that Dadonov could be shipped back to the team that dealt him to the Golden Knights in the first place, the Ottawa Senators, to both ease Vegas' cap crunch and help the Senators stay above the league's salary basement.

Where Vegas now sits a smidge above $91.3 million in salary, Ottawa is just a few ticks past $70 million.

B.S. Meter: Not B.S.

The Senators get a usable player. The Golden Knights get cap relief. Win-win.

Tyler Toffoli Skates Out of Montreal

Scott Audette/Getty Images

Edmonton Oilers fans: "The sky is falling."

Montreal Canadiens fans: "Hold our beers."

Indeed, it was a scant few months ago the NHL's most successful franchise was in the midst of a postseason renaissance, rallying to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs before advancing through two more rounds and into the Stanley Cup Final against the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Given some prudent moves by GM Marc Bergevin and the arrival of spunky rookie Cole Caufield, it seemed the Canadiens were primed for a return to regular-season relevance too.

Let's just say it hasn't exactly worked out.

Instead, Montreal sits 31st overall in a 32-team league, star goaltender Carey Price hasn't played a minute because of personal issues and Bergevin was shown the door in the final week of November.

Naturally, such a drastic plummet triggers all manners of speculation, from the executive suite to the coach's office to the locker room. And while the aforementioned Chiarot has been linked to the Oilers thanks largely to his status as an imminent free agent, veteran winger Tyler Toffoli became a topic of chatter when Sportsnet's Marek wondered aloud about whether the 29-year-old would want to be part of a roster reconstruction.

Toffoli signed a four-year, $17 million deal with the Canadiens in 2020 and scored 28 goals in 52 games during his first season with the team before adding 14 points in 22 playoff games. He's got 17 points in 26 games this year, but a recent hand injury and the surgery it required will keep him out eight weeks.

Presuming the team doesn't gain ground, whether he will be content when he returns is a legit question.

B.S. Meter: It's B.S.

Yes, Toffoli and other veterans have to be frustrated. But the team has had an unusually bad stretch of luck with injuries. Even if this season is already lost, it's unlikely he would want to start over elsewhere.

Patrick Kane Debuts on Broadway

Bill Smith/Getty Images

Into every trade-speculating life, a little blockbuster must fall.

Imagine, if you will, the image of Patrick Kane streaking down the right wing at Madison Square Garden, wearing the blue, white and red sweater of the New York Rangers.

Yes, that Patrick Kane.

New York Post columnist Larry Brooks did just that recently, kicking the tires on the idea that the Rangers, who are off to one of the best starts in the history of the 95-year-old franchise, could swing a deal to bring a three-time Stanley Cup champion to the world's most famous arena.

Artemi Panarin, who played with Kane in Chicago, is the leader of the band in New York, and Brooks suggested Kane would fit nicely on the right side with Panarin on the left and Ryan Strome in between.

The Blackhawks have stumbled to a 10-15-2 start through 27 games and are trying to right the ship after firing coach Jeremy Colliton amid turmoil off the ice relating to an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct, which prompted GM Stan Bowman to resign.

Even at 33, Kane has shown no signs of slowing down, producing 22 points in 23 games this season after finishing with 66 points in 56 games in 2020-21.

Next season will be the last on an eight-year, $84 million deal he signed in 2014, and relocating to New York could get him a lot closer to a fourth Cup than staying in Chicago is likely to do.

It's the kind of deal the Rangers have pulled in the past to try to secure a championship, and it would at least partially resemble the 1991 earth-shaker that saw Mark Messier head to New York from Edmonton for three players. Messier won the MVP in his first year with the Rangers and captained a Cup winner in Year 3.

B.S. Meter: It's B.S.

For now, at least. But file it away. And if the Rangers and Blackhawks are in similar positions at this time next year, with Kane in his contract year, start spreading the news.

Jake DeBrusk Heads West

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

This just in: Jake DeBrusk is on the outs in Boston.

He scored 62 goals in his first three NHL seasons after being picked 14th overall in the 2015 draft, but things have gone sour ever since, to the tune of just 10 goals in 64 subsequent games and a report from ESPN's Greg Wyshynski in late November that he asked for a trade from the Bruins.

The 25-year-old is in the final year of a deal paying him $3.68 million per season, and he will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of 2021-22.

So the idea that he will be moving soon isn't exactly novel.

Nick Goss of NBCSports.com suggested the Arizona Coyotes among a quintet of teams that could acquire the second-generation NHLer. That mooted deal could send veteran sniper Phil Kessel back to Boston for a chance at another playoff run.

Kessel, who's 34 and in his fourth NHL city, is wrapping up the eight-year, $64 million deal that he signed while with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013. Trading him for DeBrusk would require some other maneuvering (i.e., salary retention by the Coyotes and perhaps some picks or other players), but it makes sense for a couple players who would likely benefit from a change of scenery.

B.S. Meter: Not B.S.

DeBrusk gets a fresh start. Kessel gets another chance. A good move for all parties involved.