Big rumors floating around former first round draft pick!

For many weeks now there have been rumblings of a possible trade coming from the Dallas Stars, specifically when it comes to 21 year old power forward Valeri Nichushkin. The addition of veteran forward Jiri Hudler last week only strengthened those rumors.

While Nichushkin is certainly a valuable prospect, there is a belief that both Dallas' abundance of forwards as well as their struggling defense may be a major motivating factor in Nichushkin being dangled as trade bait. With that said there were no reports of a possible trading partner and a top 10 pick who comes in at 6'4 205 lbs is an attractive prospect for any number of teams, making this rumor a vague one.

Now however we may have some clue as to one possible destination after a report from Habs insider Marco Normandin has revealed that the Montreal Canadiens could be among the teams looking at the acquisition of Nichushkin. There is speculation based on the needs of the Stars and the players Montreal has shown a willingness to give up that Alexei Emelin could be a key piece in this potential trade.

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It's unclear how close either side is to pulling the trigger on this one, but with all the smoke here this is a situation worth watching closely. It's also worth noting that a prospect of Nichushkin's level don't be surprised if any number of teams throw their hat into this mix.