NHL Rumour Report - NHL Trade Rumours and Speculation

Stamkos down to the wire; Lucic; Girgensons offer sheet + more

In just 18 days any NHL team can talk to pending UFA Steven Stamkos. The list of teams interested in Stamkos is long, and the bidding for his services is expected to be highly competitive. While some teams might be willing to offer Stamkos over 10 million a year over 7 years, Tampa has the advantage of being able to give him an extra year, despite probably being unable to give him market value. It's not clear at this point how hard Stamkos' agent will push Tampa on salary.

The rumour mill has kicked into overdrive as we inch ever closer to the NHL draft and unrestricted free agency. Teams hoping to holding onto pending UFAs technically have until July 1st to lock them up, but the real day they need to worry about is June 25th, when any team can begin talking to pending UFAs. That's 21 days from now. It's crunch time.

Although the top two or three draft picks rarely ever get dealt, there seems to be a lot of chatter this season that some teams in the 3-14 range may trade spots. Here are five teams rumoured to be looking at moving their first rounder this year:

There are a few reports suggesting Senators wingers Mike Hoffman and Alex Chiasson could both be dangled on the trade market ahead of the draft this June. Hoffman has developed into a top sniper and will be expecting a decent raise as he enters restricted free agency. Chiasson has earned his keep and will look for security somewhere.

All signs point to the Vancouver Canucks being very active this summer in an attempt to rebuild on the fly. After acquiring Erik Gudbranson from the Panthers for center Jared McCann and two picks, rumours are quickly turning to the rest of the Canucks core.

Jonathan Drouin has been bumped down from 90% to 40% on the Trade Rumour Board. In fact, 40% is probably generous. There's a growing belief that the relationship between head coach Jon Cooper and Drouin, as well as Yzerman and Drouin's agent Adam Walsh, have vastly improved over the last few months. Drouin is getting the ice time he wants, so there's reason to believe he will stay put in Tampa. As a result, this increases the odds of the Lightning letting Steven Stamkos walk to free agency.

The 2016 offseason is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory. Many trades that could have taken place before the trade deadline were scuttled due to the cap constraints that limit in-season dealing. Much of that chatter has spilled over into the summer, meaning this offseason has the potential to be busier than ever.

We're only 44 days away from unrestricted free agency, and the speculation continues to heat up across the NHL. With 26 clubs sitting on the sidelines, talk around the league is picking up as focus shifts toward next season.