The approach of Thanksgiving weekend is usually a time when the NHL rumor mill begins grinding a little faster. This year is no exception as several notable players have surfaced in recent trade gossip.

Sometimes a team's struggles can spark media speculation about the possibility of a star getting traded ahead of the March 3 deadline. That's what recently spurred chatter over Erik Karlsson's future with the San Jose Sharks. At times, it can be about whether an impending free agent, such as the St. Louis Blues' Ryan O'Reilly, could get shopped if his club remains out of playoff contention.

It can sometimes be difficult to determine whether these rumors have any legitimacy. That's what we'll attempt to sort out by assessing the latest noteworthy conjecture to determine where they place on our BS meter.

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Jakob Chychrun's return could spur trade market for Coyotes

The Montréal Canadiens Could Trade a Forward

A surplus of forwards has resulted in the Montréal Canadiens becoming a hot spot for trade speculation. On Nov. 3, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported the Canadiens spoke with the Washington Capitals and several other clubs, listing Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Drouin and Mike Hoffman as trade candidates.

Nothing came of the rumored talks with the Capitals, and Dadonov, Drouin and Hoffman remain on the Canadiens roster. The trio has not played well this season, though Hoffman has shown some improvement of late with four goals in his last five games entering Thursday.

Other Canadiens have also been proposed as trade options. Montreal Hockey Now's Marco D'Amico suggested Christian Dvorak on Nov. 5 and Sean Monahan on Nov. 10 as candidates, while his colleague Marc Dumont pitched Josh Anderson's name last Friday.

 

BS Meter: Not BS

Struggling players such as Dadonov and Drouin, who is sidelined with an upper-body injury, will be difficult to move. However, those with value such as Dvorak, Monahan, Anderson and perhaps Hoffman could garner interest from clubs seeking experienced top-six forwards.

It might take some time to move them. Nevertheless, the rebuilding Canadiens will likely remain open to offers.