Buy or Sell Latest NHL Rumors
The second half is well underway.
All-Star festivities have come and gone. The schedules surrounding a would-be Olympic break have begun to settle into a routine. And executives across the league are starting to ponder exactly what it will take for them to win the Stanley Cup—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 four weeks 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 mid-January.
Some moves will be expected. Some will be stunning. And let's face it, some buzz will contain plain old BS.
Which can only mean one thing: It's BS Meter time!
The B/R hockey team got together to scan the up-to-the-minute rumors 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.
Captain Claude Flying out of Philadelphia
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Go ahead and label this one the worst-kept secret in hockey.
In fact, it'll be far more shocking if nothing happens than if veteran forward Claude Giroux is traded.
Philadelphia has dropped 17 of its past 19 games and is tied for last in the Metropolitan Division.
Giroux said Wednesday that he planned to chat with Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher about what happens next, given that the player has a no-trade clause in the final year of an eight-year, $66.2 million contract.
"We have a lot of things to talk about," Giroux said. "What's best for the Flyers organization, what's best for me, and we'll just go from there."
Colorado Hockey Now's Adrian Dater tweeted that Giroux let the Philadelphia brass know that the Avalanche are his preferred destination, though he'd also waive the no-trade clause for St. Louis or Minnesota.
And if Fletcher's on-the-record comments are indicative, it seems all but a done deal he's leaving.
"I guess the best way to put it is we'll continue to have conversations and ultimately a decision will have to be made one way or the other," he said. "But it'll be Claude's decision."
BS Meter: Not BS
The destination is still TBA.
But he'll be departing soon.
Montreal Selling 2 Blueliners
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It's gotten ugly in Montreal.
The GM was fired in November. The coach was sacked earlier this month.
And the Canadiens have barely earned 25 percent of available standings points through 49 games, in a season after they advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
So it's no surprise that more changes are on the way.
New GM Kent Hughes said Wednesday that defensemen Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry could be moved by the trade deadline next month.
Hughes sent forward Tyler Toffoli to Calgary for a player, a prospect and two draft picks last week to get the roster-transforming project started.
"We've received a lot of phone calls," Hughes said about Chiarot trade talks. "I think everybody knows how these talks proceed, and it's really difficult to identify when that would happen. ... If the right deal is there, we'll do it. We'll do it today. We don't need to wait to let the market establish itself."
Chiarot and Petry are Nos. 2 and 9 on Frank Seravalli's recent list of trade targets, with the former more likely to go thanks to him being in the final year of his contract. Petry has three seasons remaining.
BS Meter: Both
Chiarot's hasty exit is a foregone conclusion.
But Petry is more likely to stay until the offseason when a more worthwhile deal for all can be struck.
Brandon Hagel Leaving the Blackhawks
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All of a sudden, it's a hot Chicago topic.
Brandon Hagel is 45 games into his second full season with the Blackhawks, and the 14 goals and 27 points he's produced already dwarf the nine goals and 24 points in 52 games he registered during a shortened 2020-21.
And given the mediocre season the team has had—seventh in the eight-team Central Division, more than 10 points out of a would-be playoff spot—it's no surprise that rumors have begun to swirl.
Seravalli said several teams, including Florida, Toronto, New Jersey and Calgary, have made contact with Chicago about the idea of securing Hagel's services.
A first-round pick and a prospect is the suggested going rate for the 23-year-old winger, drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round in 2016 and subsequently plucked by the Blackhawks as a free agent after he chose not to sign with the Sabres.
He's signed for $1.5 million per season for two more years, though, which means interim GM Kyle Davidson has no mandate to move him unless he gets an offer he can't refuse.
BS Meter: BS
Hagel is the kind of good young player who can aid Chicago's rebuild.
No reason to deal him unless the return is ridiculous.
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Artem Zub Changing Ontario Addresses
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He's not the highest-profile player in the league.
But those who know hockey know Artem Zub.
Now 26, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Ottawa Senators in 2020 and has subsequently rewarded them with solid play in 94 career games, producing 27 points and a plus-nine rating and averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game this season.
Meanwhile, Toronto is pining for a deep Cup run.
The Maple Leafs have been among the league's best teams this season and seem primed for a real pursuit of the franchise's first title since 1967 thanks to a prolific offense that's fourth in the league in goals per game.
Still, the Leafs have a perceived weakness on the right side of their defense, which has led some to start tossing names as would-be acquisitions, including Zub among those possible targets.
But while it'd be quite a story for Toronto to reach the final stages of the playoffs, it doesn't make sense for Senators GM Pierre Dorion to make it any easier.
Zub is signed for $2.5 million per year through the end of next season and, like Hagel in Chicago before him, seems much more worthwhile as a rebuilding piece rather than a guy you get rid of in haste.
BS Meter: BS
Zub is a stalwart-type defenseman who's good to have.
Unless Toronto GM Kyle Dubas is overpaying, there's no reason to move him.
Klingberg Getting Traded
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It's been out there for a while.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported in early January that eighth-year Dallas defenseman John Klingberg had requested a trade. And he remains seventh on Seravalli's trade list.
He's in the final year of a seven-year deal paying $4.25 million per season and seemed close to signing an extension prior to the 2021-22 season but didn't come to an agreement.
Now we're not suggesting Pagnotta or his sources are incorrect, but just because a player may request a trade doesn't necessarily mean one will instantly take place (see: Vladimir Tarasenko).
And considering the Stars are playing well—nine wins in 12 games—and within a point of a playoff position entering Saturday, it's probably not a priority for GM Jim Nill to deal a stalwart who's averaging more than 20 minutes per game.
Whether he'll wind up with a long-term deal in Dallas is certainly a question, but the guess here is that unless a particularly tantalizing offer arrives, Klingberg will be a Texan for at least a few more months.
BS Meter: BS
Nill is determined that the Stars won't be sellers at the deadline.
Which means guys on the level of Klingberg stay put.
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