We're not even one month into the NHL season and already there are several notable players popping up in the rumor mill.

Marian Gaborik's stalled contract talks with the Minnesota Wild had him tied to the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings.

The Chicago Blackhawks signing Cristobal Huet this summer has had Nikolai Khabibulin on the trade block for months, linked to Kings, Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche.

Mats Sundin's uncertain status has resulted in rumors of the Canadiens, Senators, Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning interested in him.

A recent wacky one had the Blackhawks as a potential destination for Senators forward Jason Spezza.

While there are several reasons to shoot down these rumors, the main one remains the salary cap.

In the good old days of the old collective bargaining agreement there was no cap on salaries and thus trade rumors tying players with expensive contracts to rival clubs could be argued as having some smidgen of truth to them.

In today's salary cap world, however, none of the aforementioned deals make sense.

Gaborik and Khabibulin carry salaries that are a cap hit of over $6 million each, Sundin will likely seek over $7 million for this season (pro-rated at this point but still an expensive bite for any club that signs him), and Spezza (whom I doubt very much is available, given how it was current GM Bryan Murray who re-signed him last year to a lucrative, long-term contract) hauls in $7 million per season against the cap from now until 2015.

None of the teams they are linked to in trade rumors can afford to absorb their contracts at this time. To do it would mean clearing considerable cap space, something none of these teams can afford to do without hurting their roster depth.

At this point in the season deals almost always have to be dollar for dollar and player for player, and so far there's no team willing to move that kind of money this early in the season.

Check out this link to NHLnumbers.com where you'll find a listing of where the teams place in payroll this season, and you'll see what I mean about the foolishness of many of these rumors.

If the dollars don't fit under the cap, the deal doesn't get done. Simple as that.

Speculation is growing around the NHL that the Minnesota Wild are, or will soon be, shopping star winger Marian Gaborik, who's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

That's based on GM Doug Risebrough's statement during pre-season claiming he wouldn't allow contract negotiations with the Gaborik camp to drag on throughout the season becoming a potential distraction for the Wild.

The Minneapolis-St.Paul media reported Gaborik rejected multiple offers from the Wild, leading management to conclude they have little chance of re-signing him and should move the talented winger sooner rather than later.

I have no doubt that Risebrough has either been contacting rival general managers or fielded calls about Gaborik, but there are two significant potential stumbling blocks to a Gaborik trade this early in the season.

One is cap space, which most NHL teams currently have little available with which to absorb Gaborik's $6.333 million cap hit for this season. That means any team interested in acquiring Gaborik will have to free up at least $6 million in cap space, either by moving the salaries of one or more players as part of the return for him, or swinging a salary dumping deal with another team prior to acquiring Gaborik, or demoting a good chunk of cap space to the minors.

Either way you slice it, the dollars have to fit under the interested party's salary cap or the deal doesn't go down.

So while some folks consider the Montreal Canadiens a good destination for Gaborik, the rumored offer/asking price of Chris Higgins($1.7 million) and either Jaroslav Halak ($775 K) or prospect Ryan McDonagh doesn't free up the cap space for the Canadiens to add Gaborik to their roster.

Remember, it's been nearly three years since the last early season trade involving a superstar player, which was the San Jose Sharks acquiring Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins. The reason for the inactivity in the trade market early in the season is quite simple: the salary cap.

The other sticking point is Gaborik's UFA status next summer. Few interested parties will be willing to part with a significant return for Gaborik if he intends to test next summer's UFA market. They'll want Gaborik to commit to a long-term extension before agreeing to acquire him.

So keep those factors in mind over the coming days and weeks as the Gaborik trade speculation shifts into overdrive.

This August has been a much quieter time for real NHL news than in recent ones post-lockout, and for good reason: most NHL reporters were either on vacation or covering the recent Summer Olympics in Beijing, while most NHL general managers and their staff were vacationing or off on scouting missions.

Of course idle hands are the devil’s work and some folks (none of them accredited hockey reporters, by the way) have been busy filling hockey cyberspace with lots of unsubstantiated trade and free agent rumors.

So since there isn’t really very much real hockey news to comment on, here’s a look at some of the latest internet rumors going on:

- Washington Capitals forward Michael Nylander put his house up for sale and could be traded to Vancouver.

Nylander has put his house up for sale, which can be a legitimate tip-off of an imminent move, but according to the Washington Post that’s because he and his family are moving into a smaller one. Nylander has a movement clause and isn’t planning on waiving it, nor have the Capitals asked him to.

-The Montreal Canadiens are pursuing Chicago Blackhawks center Robert Lang.

Canadiens GM Bob Gainey admits he has a “plan B” in place should Mats Sundin opt to sign elsewhere, but it remains to be seen if that’s pursuing another center or sticking with his current roster. The Lang rumor was erroneously attributed to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who’s been on vacation for much of this summer.

-The Canadiens are interested in Toronto’s Bryan McCabe to replace the offense lost when Mark Streit signed with the Islanders.

No, they’re not. Folks conveniently forget that the Canadiens still have Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik on the point, and they’re certainly not going to take on McCabe’s bloated $5.75 million per season salary.

-The Florida Panthers will trade Jay Bouwmeester before the start of the upcoming season.

No, they won’t. Bouwmeester is on a one-year contract and in all likelihood won’t be returning with the Panthers after this season but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes he has a chance to convince Bouwmeester to remain he won’t move the blueliner. If “Jay-Bo” is traded it’ll be in January at the earliest, most likely by the February trade deadline.

-The Minnesota Wild are shopping or will shop Marian Gaborik before the start of the season.

Same situation as Bouwmeester, although judging by recent reports out of Minnesota it appears there’s a willingness on both the Wild and the Gaborik camp to get a deal done.

-The NY Rangers will trade Scott Gomez to make room for Mats Sundin.

Sorry, folks, but I just don’t see that happening. It makes no sense to trade a 28-year-old playmaker entering the prime of his career and in the midst of a long-term contract for a 37-year-old center who, as great as he is, might only commit to one or two years of hockey.  If Rangers GM Glen Sather does this, he has no right being an NHL general manager.

-The Rangers will trade Gomez to Minnesota for Gaborik.

And on that day, the devil skates to work.

I don’t usually engage in this much but since there’s been a dire dearth of any real hockey news to comment on I suppose it’s as good a time as any to shoot down some of the wacky trade and free agent rumors flying around.

First off, the Florida Panthers are not shopping defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Sure, the fact that he signed a one-year contract taking him up to UFA status next summer likely means this is his final season with the Panthers, but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes there’s a chance to re-sign Bouwmeester he won’t be dealt, at least not at this time of the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe may apparently be willing to consider waiving his movement clause to accept a trade but that doesn’t mean he’ll be dealt soon.

According to recent reports out of Toronto the Leafs are believed waiting for a list from McCabe of teams he’d waive his clause to be dealt to, and the odds are that list will likely be a short one containing Cup contenders or perennial playoff teams.

And no, I don’t see him accepting a trade to the NY Islanders, because quite frankly I don’t think the Islanders, who now appear committed to rebuilding with youth, would be interested in his fat contract.

The Minnesota Wild are not shopping Marian Gaborik. That rumor is pure BS. They’re hoping to re-sign him and have no “contingency plans” to trade him now. As of this writing GM Doug Risebrough will be meeting with Gaborik in Slovakia this week to open contract talks.

Maybe later on in the season if Gaborik decides that he wants to test next summer’s UFA market Risebrough will shop him. Not now.

 Oh, and while I think of it, Bouwmeester isn’t being shopped for McCabe or Gaborik.

How do I know this? Because most NHL general managers are either on vacation, just back from vacation or soon to be heading out on vacation. Most teams have committed their cap space and have their rosters pretty much set. Heck, even a good number of player agents are taking this time to get in a little R&R.

That’s why there’s been almost nothing to report in terms of real hockey news. It’s the same thing every year.

Since the 2005-06 season ended, few significant trades have occured between the months of August and December, none of those involving players of the caliber of Gaborik, Bouwmeester and McCabe.

The reason for that is, quite simply, limited cap space, significantly limiting the market for players of that caliber during that time period.

Teams that will be busy in the coming weeks are those currently over the salary cap, like Philadelphia, Anaheim, Calgary and Chicago, who’ll have to dump some salary via trade or demotions to get under the cap by the start of the season.

The Nashville Predators could be forced to make a move or two via trade or free agency if Alexander Radulov remains in Russia for next season, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are heavy on forwards but light on defensive depth which suggests they might have a move or two remaining before next season begins.

That’s where your focus should be, rumormongers, not on dreaming up fantasy trades. 

The Minnesota Wild made a significant contract signing on Friday, one that not only keeps a talented young forward on their roster long-term but could also have an impact upon their efforts to retain their best forward.

Winger Pierre-Marc Bouchard signed a five-year, $20.4 million contract with the Wild and avoided going to arbitration. He was eligible for unrestricted free agent status next summer but took considerably less than what he might’ve made next summer as a UFA to remain with the Wild.

Reports also indicate that, while he didn’t get a “no-trade” clause in his contract, he received a promise from Wild GM Doug Risebrough that he won’t be traded in his first two years.

That’s important for Bouchard, who was reportedly offered up to the Florida Panthers in June for center Olli Jokinen. It was speculated that would have a negative impact upon the Wild’s attempt to re-sign him long-term but Bouchard evidently wanted to stay in Minnesota.

This move could also have a potentially positive impact upon the Wild’s efforts to retain star forward Marian Gaborik, who is also eligible for UFA status next summer and would be among the most prized free agents available.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Michael Russo suggests it could take around $8.5 million to lock up Gaborik long-term, which is probably less than what he could make on the open market but given the club’s commitment in recent years to retaining their best young players might be enough to keep Gaborik in the fold.

Keeping the slick playmaker Bouchard could help the Wild sway Gaborik’s decision in their favor.