Anatomy of a Trade Rumor

Here's a quick lesson in how a trade rumor can get started...

Let's take a hockey fan who happens to be part of a website with a small to medium sized readership - we'll call him "Schmorklift". He might write something that is nothing more than some guy nosing around capgeek looking for contracts that match contracts on a team (let's say the Blackhawks).

At one point, he might throw something out there that really isn't plausible, except the contracts going in each direction are the same basic amount.

Now...

A writer with a larger site, who happens to be part of the first site's small to medium sized readership, winds up sourcing this implausible trade. Now it gets to where a lot more eyeballs can find it.

A day later, it is on a major site, like espn.com.

Remember this in the next few days and weeks, when there's angst about a possible Sharp-for-Kozlov deal.