Buying or Selling the Latest NHL Trade and Free-Agency Rumors

Only nine trades have taken place since the start of the 2022-23 NHL regular season in October, but none have occurred yet in December. However, there could be some activity in the trade market soon as the league's annual holiday roster freeze (Dec. 20-27) draws near.

With the roster freeze approaching, it's no coincidence that there has been an increase in media trade speculation.

Some pundits are pondering where the Vancouver Canucks could ship winger Brock Boeser. Meanwhile, Jakob Chychrun's return to action with the Arizona Coyotes has reheated speculation over which clubs could become potential suitors for the 24-year-old defenseman.

Boeser and Chychrun are among several notable players to surface in the rumor mill in recent days. We'll try to determine whether any of this conjecture is worth buying or selling.

As always, you can weigh in with your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.

Jesse Puljujarvi's tenure with the Edmonton Oilers could be drawing to a close. On Dec. 10, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported he believes a trade could be coming at some point for the 25-year-old winger.

Friedman cited Puljujärvi's interview with Finnish journalist Tommi Seppala of YLE News Agency in which he questioned his future in the NHL. With just one goal in his first 20 games, he said he didn't have an answer for his scoring woes. While he'd like to be a productive player, he doesn't know if he can do that in the NHL.

Puljujärvi's comments reflect a troubling loss of confidence from a player chosen fourth overall in the 2016 NHL draft. Perhaps he might benefit from a change of scenery after struggling for six seasons with the Oilers.

Friedman pointed out that Oilers management and Puljujärvi's representatives met during the summer and discussed a possible move if things didn't go well this season. He said it could take time for a trade to happen, in part because the Oilers' roster is banged up. They'll also need to shed salary once sidelined winger Evander Kane returns to action.

Verdict: Buy

The Oilers have been very patient with Puljujärvi, even when he opted to play in Finland in 2019-20 over a contract dispute. However, things may have finally reached the breaking point. His offensive struggles mean the Oilers won't get much of a return. Getting his $3 million cap hit off their books before Kane's return to the lineup could be more important.

The futures of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews with the Chicago Blackhawks remain a topic of interest. Both are eligible for unrestricted free-agent status next July. They could waive their no-movement clauses to join a playoff contender before the March 3 trade deadline.

Kane and Toews will dominate the Blackhawks' rumor mill from now until deadline day. However, there are other players who could end up getting shopped should general manager Kyle Davidson become a seller in the trade market.

Davidson signed forwards Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou last summer to identical one-year, $3 million contracts. On Dec. 6, the Hockey News' Adam Proteau wrote that it wouldn't make sense to hang on to Athanasiou just to have him walk away as a UFA next summer. He also doesn't see Domi sticking around after this season.

The Athletic's Scott Powers reported the Blackhawks would love to get high draft picks, perhaps even first-rounders, for both players. However, the market isn't there yet. A Western Conference executive told Powers that he believes they'd fetch third- or fourth-rounders at this point, but it depends on how desperate teams get.

Verdict: Buy

Domi and Athanasiou appear to be short-term stopgaps for the rebuilding Blackhawks. They will be shopped for the best offers by the trade deadline. Domi would have the more value of the two, as he's sitting second among their scorers with 19 points. If he maintains that pace, he could fetch a first-rounder.

A frequent subject of trade rumors, Jakob Chychrun returned to the Arizona Coyotes lineup on Nov. 21 following offseason wrist surgery. The 24-year-old defenseman has played well thus far, tallying eight points in his first nine games of the season.

Chychrun's performance will stoke interest among clubs seeking a puck-moving blueliner. On Nov. 27, the Buffalo News' Lance Lysowski cited sources confirming the Sabres are among those with an interest in the Coyotes' rearguard. Four days later, on Dec. 1, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman noted the Los Angeles Kings have been linked to the Coyotes' rearguard.

ESPN.com's Emily Kaplan included the Kings among her Dec. 6 list of destinations for Chychrun along with the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch reported the Senators have had talks about Chychrun with the Coyotes, but they couldn't agree to a deal.

TSN's Darren Dreger said teams still remain apprehensive about the Coyotes' expensive asking price for Chychrun. However, he felt it could soon reach a point where one of them might have to pay.

Verdict: Buy

Garrioch wrote that the Coyotes seek two first-round picks and a high-end prospect for Chychrun. The longer the oft-injured defenseman remains healthy and productive, the more likely a team will pay what the Coyotes want. After months of speculation, Chychrun could be skating with a new team before the March 3 trade deadline.

On Dec. 3, Sportnet's Elliotte Friedman's reported the Vancouver Canucks were allowing Brock Boeser's agent to speak to other teams about a possible trade. That prompted conjecture over which clubs could have an interest in the 25-year-old winger.

Five days following his report, Friedman proposed the Washington Capitals as a suitor. He wondered if a swap of Boeser for Anthony Mantha might make sense for both sides.

The Toronto Star's Nick Kypreos, meanwhile, pointed out that the Calgary Flames seek a scoring winger. Noting the Canucks need to shed salary, he suggested the Flames offer up Milan Lucic and his expiring contract as part of the return.

Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin listed the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins as destinations for Boeser. However, TSN's Pierre LeBrun pointed out that his $6.7 million annual salary through 2024-25 is a problem for the teams with an interest in him because of their limited salary-cap space.

Verdict: Sell (for now)

Despite the speculation, there's no indication that the Canucks are close to finding a suitable trade partner for Boeser. LeBrun believes it'll take a lot of work between now and the March 3 trade deadline to move him. This could go right up to the deadline before a suitable deal can be found with a team willing to take on his full salary.

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier's willingness to entertain trade offers for Erik Karlsson has made the 32-year-old defenseman a recent fixture in the rumor mill. On Dec. 6, TSN's Darren Dreger reported some people within the Edmonton Oilers' organization have an interest in Karlsson as a way to address their blue-line issues.

Dreger observed veteran Oilers defensemen Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci are seeing too much playing time, while youngsters Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg aren't ready yet for heavier workloads. However, he felt Karlsson's $11.5 million average annual value through 2026-27 made him almost impossible for the Oilers to acquire.

The Edmonton Journal's David Staples felt the Sharks would have to retain half of Karlsson's cap hit and perhaps even get a third team involved to make him affordable for the Oilers. He also expected the Sharks would seek an expensive return, including two first-round draft picks plus a promising player like Broberg or Dylan Holloway.

Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli expressed skepticism over the possibility of Karlsson landing in Edmonton. Appearing on the Oilersnation Everyday podcast on Dec. 8, he reported Sharks management was unaware that the Oilers had an interest in the superstar rearguard.

Verdict: Sell

Assuming Karlsson waives his no-movement clause, his annual cap hit makes him tough to move. With just $1.6 million in cap space, the Oilers cannot afford him. Even attempting a three-team trade with the Sharks and another club retaining salary, it's just too complicated for them to pull off.

Stats (as of Dec. 10, 2022) via NHL.com. Salary info via Cap Friendly.