The NHL rumor windmill is cranking up again and spitting out potentially false winds.

Just a few hours ago, different Montreal Canadiens fan sites began to tweet that the Canadiens were close to trading away defender Alexei Emelin to the Dallas Stars.

NHL Trade News: Alexei Emelin to Dallas Stars CLOSE Details: http://t.co/5BkUrFb3XIpic.twitter.com/RUQpJQRgnB — The Hockey Press (@TheHockeyPress) July 28, 2015

Now, let’s start off with the facts. This is a rumor, and a faint one at best. The fact that only fan-run Montreal sites have brought it to the surface only further appeal to the fact that there is no real reliability. So, this very well could be a true report, or it could be about as strong as someone making a Cory Schneider trade rumor (who would do that?).

Alexei Emelin is a 29-year old Russian defender who has spent all four years of his NHL career with the Canadiens. The 6-2 left hander is not an offensive threat, but instead is more of a stay-at-home defenseman with a lethal back check. His number of starts per year are a concern, as he has yet to start up to 70 games in any given season. But his physicality and massive frame on the ice is a positive for any team.

But the Dallas Stars are not in need of Emelin’s service right now. In fact, the Stars do not need to make anymore offseason moves.

Emelin is under contract with the Canadiens until the end of the 2018 season, with an average salary of $4.1 million. That is quite the salary to add to an already tightening cap after a big offseason.

But the main factor is that the Stars do not need a defenseman. As they set now, the Stars are in possession of nine potential starters for opening night, with only six spots to fill. As it already is, the Dallas Stars will have to deny a starting roster spot to three players who basically deserve one. If they were to trade for Alexei Emelin, the Stars would have one less spot and have to pass on a fourth promising defenseman. That would merely halt another youth’s development after having what may have been an exceptional rookie season last year in the NHL.

Also, the Stars would have to trade to gain Emelin. The rumor that came up suggested that Dallas was offering either Ales Hemsky or Vernon Fiddler with picks. The fact is that those two forwards are a big part of the Stars overall success on offense. While Hemsky had a disappointing first year with the Stars, the underlying factors of a bad hip and a new change of scenery could have contributed to weighing him down in 2014-2015. Not only that, but Fiddler is almost like the glue that holds the bottom six together. His veteran presence and leadership are exceptional tools to lead the young offensive corps along.

So in the end, the Stars trading for Emelin does not seem like a good acquisition for multiple reasons. The Canadiens are trying to clear cap space, but it does not have to be with the Dallas Stars. Once again, this is a faint rumor. So, more than likely, there is no chance of this happening. But we’ll have to wait and see.