NHL Trade Rumors: Hurricanes & Sharks Emerging As Trade Partners

Keep an eye on the Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks, as the two teams could be linking up in the near future to make a trade.

The Hurricanes are in the market for a defenceman and the Sharks have a surplus on their back end, so the stars could align for both general managers. Carolina has been keeping close tabs on the waiver wire, but missed out on some of the previous talent that went through, so now have been rumored to have ramped up talks on the trade front.

Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky has over $10 million in cap space to work with, so the financial resources are there to add to the roster without having to give away any talent and take a step back. Carolina enters Tuesday's action with a 13-5-1 record, good for second in the Metropolitan Division.

The Sharks are exceeding expectations so far this season, but are not necessarily going all in to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and are still focused on the long-term development of their core. They have Timothy Liljegren, Mario Ferraro, Vincent Desharnais, Nick Leddy, and John Klingberg, who are all on expiring contracts and will be dangled throughout the season to the highest bidder.

While the trade talks have picked up in a major way across the league, don't expect to see many moves until after the American Thanksgiving weekend, when most of the league surpasses the quarter mark, and has a better understanding of buyers and sellers around the league.