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.

Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils

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.

A High Asking Price for Vladislav Gavrikov

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.