BS Meter on the Latest Rumors 11 Days from the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and we have already seen three impact players change teams, with Vladimir Tarasenko, Bo Horvat and Ryan O'Reilly getting dealt.

With each passing day until March 3, the NHL's rumor mill is only going to boil over even more, so it is time again to break out the old BS Meter and look at some of the potential rumors that have been floating around.

We'll look at a pair of San Jose Sharks teammates and two defensemen that have been embroiled in trade rumors.

San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier should be considered one of the top players potentially available at this point, if not the top player.

The Sharks badly need to retool, and even though he is a restricted free agent after this season, he should still bring a nice return to help kickstart San Jose's rebuild. He is an outstanding top-line player who has already scored 30 goals for the second consecutive year and is also a massive physical presence around the net.

Every contender in the NHL should want him, even if he does carry a $10 million qualifying offer this offseason.

Two of the more prominent teams with reported interest are Metropolitan Division rivals Carolina and New Jersey, per NHL insider Pierre LeBrun.

Let's focus on the Devils here because they have reportedly told the Sharks they want the final push at Meier before a trade gets made. That report comes from Elliotte Friedman on his recent 32 Thoughts podcast.

BS Meter: Not BS.

At least it shouldn't be BS because Meier and the Devils make perfect sense in so many ways.

For starters, New Jersey has rapidly emerged as a serious contender in the Eastern Conference and already boasts one of the most exciting young teams in the league.

Adding Meier to a lineup that already has Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Yegor Sharangovich and Dougie Hamilton would be a massive upgrade and help put the Devils on a level with Boston and Carolina in the top tier of contenders in the East.

Even though New Jersey has a lot of expiring contracts after this season and a lot of holes to fill, along with a need to deal with Bratt as a restricted free agent, they should still have the salary cap space to handle Meier's qualifying offer or sign him to a long-term deal.

When a team like the Devils sees its Stanley Cup window open earlier than expected, it should not sit back and simply enjoy the ride. It should take that as an opportunity to strike and seriously go for it.

Players like Meier do not become available very often, especially at this point in their careers. Get them while you can.

The Columbus Blue Jackets seem determined to trade defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, and all signs point to that happening sooner rather than later.

They are already holding him out of the lineup to protect him from injury and to protect his trade value.

There will no doubt be several teams interested in acquiring the pending unrestricted free agent as a rental, and the Blue Jackets seem to know they have a valuable asset.

How valuable? Columbus wants three draft pick assets back in return, including a first-round draft pick, TSN's Chris Johnston reported last week.

That might seem like a lot for a non-star defenseman that does not score a ton, but is it?

BS Meter: Absolutely not BS

How is this not BS?

We see it play out with players like Gavrikov every trade deadline.

Last year Montréal got two draft picks, including a first-round selection, and a prospect from the Florida Panthers for Ben Chiarot. The year before that, Tampa Bay sent Columbus two draft picks, including a first-round pick, for David Savard.

Gavrikov is better than both of them.

How much better is certainly up for debate, but he is better. He has more offensive upside, he has the size that general managers love come playoff time and he is a capable defender in his own zone.

He is also still only 27 years old and carries an extremely small salary cap hit ($2.8 million) that could even be reduced if the Blue Jackets retain some of it. Those factors stand to boost his value even more.

Columbus should have no problem getting its asking price or something close to it.

Boston, Toronto and Edmonton figure to be teams with interest, and potentially the Los Angeles Kings if they lose out on Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

The Edmonton Oilers are still on the playoff bubble in the Western Conference, but they should have the talent to secure a postseason spot.

It is now time for general manager Ken Holland to do something significant and give Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl some additional help to get them closer to a Stanley Cup. The Oilers can no longer waste this gift from the hockey gods.

The most intriguing name connected to them has to be San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson.

There has been a pretty strong push from the Edmonton media for the Oilers to pay the price required to land him.

BS Meter: BS

Sadly, this might just be a dream.

At least for now.

The Oilers should at least be inquiring about a trade for Karlsson and gauging his interest in joining the club (he has a no-movement clause). He is an elite player again, and the potential that could come from putting him on a team with McDavid and Draisaitl is off the charts.

The Oilers badly need a top-tier defenseman, and Karlsson could be available as the Sharks look to rebuild. He is also still signed long-term, so it could open up Edmonton's Stanley Cup window even wider over the next few years.

Could you imagine a power play with McDavid, Draisaitl and Karlsson on it? An already unstoppable power play would be even more incredible.

The problem is that this would be an extremely difficult trade to pull off in-season, given Karlsson's annual $11.5 million cap hit over the next four years and Edmonton's salary-cap situation.

Edmonton would not only need San Jose to retain salary, but it would also need to find a way to shed contracts off of its own book to make room for Karlsson for the remainder of this season and beyond.

That does not even get into the assets that San Jose would rightfully be able to demand. Karlsson is not just some random rental. He is an all-time great on pace to become the first defenseman in nearly 30 years to top 100 points in a single season. Furthermore, he is signed through the 2026-27 campaign.

They can—and should—ask for the moon in return.

Holland has not yet shown a willingness to pay that sort of price in trades as general manager of the Oilers.

So as perfect and fun as a fit as this might be, the timeline, potential return and the financial situation make this more of an offseason idea than a trade-deadline idea.

The Boston Bruins do not need much, as they have the best record in the NHL and the best roster from top to bottom.

The Bruins can score, defend and have two very good goalies. They have been lapping the field and look like the Stanley Cup favorites.

Despite their position, they are still rumored to be in the market for one of the top defensemen available in either Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun or Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, per Friedman on 32 Thoughts.

BS Meter: BS and...not BS

The Bruins need to recognize this season for what it is. It's not only an amazing chance to win the Stanley Cup but also perhaps their last chance to win with this core.

Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are both unrestricted free agents after this season and may not play again after this season. David Pastrnak is also a pending UFA, and until pen is put to paper on a new contract, there is no guarantee that he returns.

And while the Bruins do not necessarily need anything to continue to distance themselves from the rest of the pack, they could still probably get more on their defense.

Either Chychrun or Gavrikov would be a significant addition. Both players have reasonable salary-cap numbers, but the price in terms of assets will likely be a problem for at least Chychrun.

The Coyotes can command a significant price for him based on his contract and production, but Jeremy Swayman and Jake DeBrusk are "off-limits" in trade discussions, per Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now. Boston does not have a particularly deep farm system or many young players in the NHL on cheap entry-level deals, so it might be BS as far as Chychrun goes.

Gavrikov, on the other hand, might be manageable.

Even though the Bruins do not have a second-round pick in the 2023 or 2024 draft classes, they still have all of their current and future first-round picks and nearly their full allotment of draft picks in other rounds.

They can easily fit in Gavrikov's contract, have the resources to get him, and also present a situation where they could play him in a role he is best designed for (as a third-pairing defender) to help put them over the top. That rumored interest might not be BS.