Buying or Selling the Latest NHL Trade and Free Agency Rumors

It's been over a month since the 2022-23 NHL season opened on Oct. 7. Before the start of November, six trades took place, with the Vancouver Canucks involved in three of those, acquiring defensemen Ethan Bear and Riley Stillman as well as center Jack Studnicka.

It was understandable why the Canucks were so busy, given their 2-5-2 record from October. They're not the only club stumbling from the gate that could turn to the trade market for a quick fix.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs' record of 4-4-2 through October had some observers suggesting a trade may be necessary to reverse their fortunes. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks' 3-8-0 record generated media chatter claiming management could be open to offers.

It's not uncommon for rumors to fly whenever teams aren't playing well in the opening weeks of a season. Whether we should put much stock into them, however, is another matter. That's what we'll try to sort out as we consider which recent notable speculation is worth buying or selling.

Do you agree or disagree with our take on these rumors? Let us know in the comment section below.

Carrying a surplus of forwards, the Montréal Canadiens are in the market to trade one of them. On Nov. 3, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported they had contacted the Washington Capitals and several other clubs trying to build up a market for one of them.

LeBrun indicated those talks with the Capitals didn't go much beyond the discussion stage. He listed Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Drouin and Mike Hoffman as trade candidates. All three are struggling with the rebuilding Canadiens this season, totaling four points between them.

The most likely to be moved could be Dadonov. The 33-year-old winger was a recent healthy scratch before ending on injured reserve once defenseman Joel Edmundson made his season debut on Nov. 3. A 20-goal scorer with the Vegas Golden Knights last season, he's been scoreless through eight games with the Canadiens.

Dadonov and Drouin are both eligible to become unrestricted free agents next summer and carry cap hits of at least $5 million. Hoffman is signed through 2023-24 with an average annual value of $4.5 million.

Verdict: Buy

The Canadiens could also place one of those forwards on waivers and demote them if they go unclaimed. Dadonov, Drouin or Hoffman might regain their scoring form on a better team, but their respective cap hits are tough to move right now. However, the Canadiens could facilitate a deal by retaining part of their salary.

With just four wins in their first 10 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked anything like a Stanley Cup contender. Losses to the lowly Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks had Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons speculating that changes could be coming to the Leafs if they didn't soon snap out of their funk.

The Athletic's James Mirtle suggested on Nov. 1 that they pursue a trade for a mobile right-shot defenseman. With blueliner Jake Muzzin on long-term injured reserve, freeing up most of his $5.6 million cap hit, he felt they could use most of it to acquire some help.

Mirtle also proposed the Leafs could garner more cap space by shopping underperforming players like Alexander Kerfoot or Justin Holl. His suggested trade targets included the Arizona Coyotes' Jakob Chychrun or Shayne Gostisbehere, the Anaheim Ducks' John Klingberg, Columbus Blue Jackets' Vladislav Gavrikov and New Jersey Devils' Damon Severson.

The Leafs could be in the market for a puck-moving right-side blueliner. On Oct. 29, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported they were interested in Ethan Bear before the Carolina Hurricanes shipped him to the Vancouver Canucks. However, Toronto didn't want to part with a draft pick to get him.

Verdict: Buy

The Leafs won three straight to open November. However, with Muzzin on the shelf long-term, their interest in Bear suggests they're looking for help. Whether that will be one of Mirtle's proposed trade candidates remains to be seen. They'll have to give up something else of value if they don't part with a draft pick.

Dylan Larkin has spent his entire eight-season NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, enduring several seasons of their long and sometimes painful rebuilding process. With the 26-year-old center in the final season of his contract and free agency beckoning next July, there's some question about what his future holds.

In an Oct. 28 mailbag segment, The Athletic's Max Bultman was asked by a reader what's taking so long for the Wings to get their captain under contract. He speculated Mathew Barzal's new eight-year contract extension at an average annual value of $9.2 million with the New York Islanders could be affecting Larkin's negotiations.

Larkin's current annual cap hit is $6.1 million, and he could get over $9 million on a seven-year deal if he hits the open market next summer. However, Bultman wondered if he might accept between $8.2 million and $8.3 million annually on an eight-year deal as the total dollars would be slightly more.

The Toronto Star's Nick Kypreos, however, pondered the possibility of Larkin pricing himself out of the Wings market. On Oct. 27, he speculated general manager Steve Yzerman could opt to use the dollars needed to re-sign Larkin to put toward acquiring Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks.

Verdict: Sell

Bultman was anticipating Larkin getting signed by the Wings this summer. While that hasn't happened, there's still plenty of time for the two sides to reach an agreement on a new deal. With the Wings finally showing signs of improvement, Larkin could prefer sticking around to lead them through the next phase of their development.

The San Jose Sharks were coming off their worst performance (77 points) over a full 82-game schedule since their 73-point effort in 2002-03 as Mike Grier took over as general manager. With his club stumbling from the gate with just three wins thus far, he could be already planning to shake things up.

On Oct. 27, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported hearing from teams claiming that Grier was willing to entertain offers for "pretty much everyone on their roster." A notable exception was Tomas Hertl, who signed an eight-year contract last season.

LeBrun believes Grier could find it challenging to make significant changes with veterans such as Erik Karlsson carrying no-movement clauses. Karlsson and veterans such as Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also have several seasons remaining on their contracts, with average annual values of $7 million or more.

The following day, The Athletic's Corey Masisak reported the Sharks players shrugged off the rumors. He pointed out that LeBrun's report didn't single out any specific players as trade candidates. He also cited Sharks coach David Quinn saying general managers are probably talking to each other, trying to gauge where their clubs are at this point in the season.

Verdict: Buy

Grier has already proven he's willing to make bold moves by trading Brent Burns in July to the Carolina Hurricanes despite his $8 million cap hit and three-team no-trade clause. It won't be easy to move other veterans with hefty contracts. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean he won't consider all his options if he can find a deal to improve his club over the long run.

The subject of NHL rumors for months, Jakob Chychrun entered November atop our NHL Trade Block Big Board. However, the 24-year-old Arizona Coyotes defenseman remains sidelined by offseason wrist surgery.

On Oct. 27, general manager Bill Armstrong told reporters that Chychrun suffered a setback and is considered week-to-week.

The day prior, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman anticipated Chychrun would play "like a man possessed" upon his return to action, as teams will want to see if he can make an immediate impact.

He speculated the New York Islanders could have had an interest in the puck-moving blueliner but wondered if it made sense for them to give up draft picks right now.

Having traded away his first-round picks in each of the last three drafts, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello could prefer retaining his first-rounder in what could be a deep draft in 2023. He currently has all of his picks for that draft as well as for the following two years.

Chychrun usually skates as a left-side defenseman. The Islanders have Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov as their top-four left-side blueliners, but neither possess Chychrun's offensive skills. He would be an invaluable addition to their scoring punch.

Verdict: Sell

On Oct. 22, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek claimed the Coyotes have set a high asking price for Chychrun consisting of "two first-round draft picks, plus." Lamoriello could balk at giving up so much for a defenseman with an injury history.

Stats (as of Nov. 7, 2022) via NHL.com with additional information via Hockey-Reference. Salary and draft pick info via Cap Friendly.