BS Meter on Early 2025 NHL Offseason Rumors and Buzz

The 2024-25 regular season is over, and the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are underway. Non-playoff clubs are allowed to trade with each other during the postseason, though such moves are rare. Those teams prefer waiting until after the postseason, when more trade partners can be found.

However, there is no shortage of speculation over possible moves by those teams. We can expect that conjecture to persist and grow, especially as teams are eliminated from the playoffs.

Some of it involves speculation about rebuilding teams with salary-cap space, such as the Philadelphia Flyers, targeting restricted free agents on cap-strapped clubs with offer sheets.

Mitch Marner's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs remains in question. While he and his teammates are still in the thick of playoff action, some observers have wondered where he might sign if he hits the open market on July 1.

The San Jose Sharks have the best odds of winning the draft lottery for the second straight season. Nevertheless, some folks wonder if they might trade that pick.

How much stock should be put into this speculation? We've dusted off our trusty BS Meter to separate fact from fiction regarding five of the most notable recent offseason rumors.

Finishing last in this season's overall standings, the rebuilding San Jose Sharks have the best odds of winning the draft lottery for the second straight year.

Last year, they chose Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick, and he is a leading contender for the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year.

However, Sharks general manager Mike Grier could be open to trading his 2025 first-rounder if his club wins the lottery.

Per NBC Sports Bay Area's Sheng Peng, Grier acknowledged defenseman Matthew Schaefer of the OHL's Erie Otters is considered the top prospect, but the rest of this year's draft is heavy on forwards.

Grier could hang onto that pick and use it to select Schaefer or one of those promising forwards, but he might consider moving it if he receives a strong offer of promising young NHL-ready players.

The last time the No. 1 pick was traded came in 2003, when the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired it from the Florida Panthers. They used it to select goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who spent 13 of his successful 21 NHL years in Pittsburgh.

BS Meter: It's BS

We don't doubt Grier's sincerity when he says he's open to entertaining proposals for that pick. But given how rarely those moves happen, it's unlikely he'll get a convincing offer.

This was a difficult season for the Philadelphia Flyers. After narrowly missing the 2024 postseason, the rebuilding club struggled throughout 2024-25, finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Changes were afoot before the end of the season, with John Tortorella relieved of his head coaching duties in March and players such as Scott Laughton, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee and Erik Johnson shipped out before the March trade deadline.

Kevin Kurz of The Athletic believes general manager Daniel Brière could attempt to add a difference-maker (like a top-six center) to his lineup this summer, but he is more likely to go the trade route instead of free agency.

Kurz also wondered if Brière could target a rival club's restricted free-agent talent with an offer sheet. He suggested Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks, Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild and Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs as candidates, but it's uncertain if those players would be open to such offers.

BS Meter: Not BS

The St. Louis Blues' signing of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers last summer could embolden other GMs to try their luck. The Flyers have over $27 million in cap space with Noah Cates and Cam York to re-sign, leaving plenty of room for Brière to go the offer-sheet route.

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks in August 2023 in the hopes the three-time Norris Trophy winner would help them return to playoff contender form.

However, things haven't worked out as planned, as the Penguins missed the postseason with the 34-year-old defenseman in their lineup.

Karlsson was the subject of speculation leading up to the March trade deadline. The chatter persists in the rumor mill after Pittsburgh finished outside the playoff picture again.

The Athletic's Josh Yohe believes Penguins GM Kyle Dubas should "do himself a favor" and trade the Swede this summer.

He cited league sources claiming some teams might be interested in acquiring the puck-moving blueliner if Dubas retains around $2.5 million of the Penguins' share of his annual salary-cap hit ($10 million).

Pittsburgh Hockey Now's Dan Kingerski reported Karlsson is frustrated with the underachieving Penguins. But the reporters doubted there are many suitors for the veteran rearguard, pointing out that he still has a full no-movement clause in his contract. Nevertheless, he thinks a trade could be possible under the right circumstances.

BS Meter: It's BS

There could be some clubs willing to take a chance on Karlsson, but his contract and declining performance are significant sticking points. Dubas might have to retain up to half his salary to facilitate a trade. Rival clubs could also squeeze him to include a sweetener such as a draft pick or prospect in the deal.

On April 8, TSN's Pierre LeBrun said the Carolina Hurricanes could target Mitch Marner if the Toronto Maple Leafs winger becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Hurricanes reportedly offered Mikko Rantanen to the Leafs for Marner before eventually shipping him to the Dallas Stars at the March 7 trade deadline.

Carolina isn't the only team that could pursue Marner this summer. On April 16, Mark Lazerus and Scott Power of The Athletic suggested the Chicago Blackhawks could be first in line to bid for the 27-year-old two-way right winger.

Marner could be a terrific linemate for young Chicago center Connor Bedard. His two-way skills would also help the team improve its penalty kill.

Signing Marner could be expensive. Lazerus and Powers suggest it could cost between $12 million and $14 million annually. However, Chicago has the cap space to do it, with a projected $30.9 million and 20 active roster players under contract for next season.

BS Meter: Not BS

Chicago could test the UFA market for a free-agent star in his prime such as Marner, who could help accelerate its rebuild. However, the Blackhawks could face competition from other teams with plentiful cap space. Teams like the Hurricanes can offer him the opportunity to play for a contender.

Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford talked about the long-term future of team captain Quinn Hughes during his end-of-season press conference on April 21.

The 25-year-old defenseman and 2024 Norris Trophy winner has two years left on his contract. The earliest the Canucks can sign him to an extension is next July.

Rutherford indicated the team would do all it can to ensure Hughes remains in Vancouver. He also suggested money might not be the most important thing to his captain, indicating he'd said he'd like to play one day with his brothers, Jack and Luke, who play for the New Jersey Devils.

"That would be partly out of our control, (but) in our control if we brought his brothers here," Rutherford said. He quickly added that he had to be careful not to violate the NHL's rules against tampering with another team's players and left it at that.

According to CHEK-TV's Rick Dhaliwal, the league isn't looking at any tampering charges against Rutherford. Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre believes he was joking.

BS Meter: It's BS

Even if Rutherford was serious about bringing Jack and Luke to Vancouver, the Canucks lack the salary-cap space and tradeable assets necessary to tempt the Devils into parting with the brothers. The only thing his comments accomplished was cast some doubt about Quinn's future in Vancouver.

Regular-season stats and standings via NHL.com. Salary info via PuckPedia.