 | In this week's installment of 30 Second Timeout we take a look at some of the possible destinations for Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets. This week’s question was: What uniform will Rick Nash be wearing next week and why? Possible destinations suggested by our writers include Columbus, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Jose and Toronto.
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Cornwall - February 24, 2012 - In this week's installment of 30 Second Timeout we take a look at some of the possible destinations for Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets. This week’s question was:
What uniform will Rick Nash be wearing next week and why?
Below you will find the responses from nine of our columnists. Feel free to vote for your choices in the poll below.
Glenn Austen - With the Jeff Carter trade, Nash no longer looks to be an option for LA. Of the remaining suitors, it comes down to Boston and Toronto IMO. The best fit seems to be Boston, who have been on a bit of a slide in the New Year due in large part to injuries to key players such as Horton and Peverly. With a team that looks to be in prime position for success in the playoffs, and with plenty of young assets that would be of interest to Columbus, look for the Bruins to make a bold move and deal for Nash (along with G Steve Mason) in a package that may look something like this: RW Jordan Caron, G Tukka Rask, Center Ryan Spooner, 1st rd pick. Boston refuses to deal young star D-man Dougie Hamilton, but gets a deal done regardless. Toronto just does not have the organizational depth to justify giving up the farm for Nash, while Boston can easily afford the cost while maintaining a rich farm system (thanks in part to past deals with the Leafs!).
Phillip Blancher - Rick Nash will be wearing a Columbus uniform after the trade deadline. He is a great asset and would be a great addition to any team, but there are not many teams willing to give up the number of prospects Columbus needs to make the deal happen. Columbus needs to rebuild, from the ground up and it needs prospects. For that same reason I don't think that Columbus wont be a a salary dumping ground for other teams. Nash will stay where he is for the rest of the season; look for him to move at the draft.
Liam Carter - I fully expect Rick Nash to remain a member of the Columbus Bluejackets this season, as I feel he will most likely be dealt in the upcoming off-season. With the recent departure of Jeff Carter, I fully anticipate GM Scott Howsen waiting until the summer so that he can thoroughly weigh all of his options moving forward in regards to trading his captain and franchise player away. I truly believe he will end up with the Rangers should they fail to make a serious push in the upcoming playoffs
Dean Eastman - Rick Nash will be wearing a Pacific teal coloured jersey by Monday, February 27th. There is no secret that Nash and Joe Thornton are good friends and employ the same agent to handle their hockey affairs. With Los Angeles trading for Jeff Carter, the San Jose Sharks will definitely be looking to improve their own club prior to the deadline. San Jose needs to reach the Stanley Cup finals this season. In order to get to the big dance, some tweaking to the current roster is needed and an infusion of “Nash” on the left wing side is the solution.
Steve Minakakis - The Los Angeles Kings have the best assets to give up for Rick Nash. They could come up with a few different offer combinations that would be much better than any other team can muster. A few names that have been thrown around are Bernier, Loktionov, Johnson, etc. Columbus could get a good goaltender with the potential of becoming a number one in the NHL, and several good players/prospects from the Kings. It would only make sense that the Blue Jackets maximize their return for the face of their franchise, and the Kings offer is likely to be the strongest.
Bill Payment - I think he will still be wearing the Columbus jersey. A team interested enough to be buying at trade deadline would have to give up too much to get him if they are already in striking distance. As good as he is he wouldnt make up enough. Now maybe a team already in the tank would be interested but Nash has a veto. I say there will be big action in June around Draft time. My guess would be LA.
Chris Savard - I know this might be wishful thinking on the part of a Leaf fan, but I think there is a chance Nash will be wearing Blue and White next week. Brian Burke always seems to find a way to make big deals happen. Phil Kessel was available, he ended up in Toronto. Dion Phaneuf was available, he ended up in Toronto. Burke traded up in the draft order to get both the Sedin twins. Jake Gardiner, Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne and a first - is that enough? Tough part is the salary side and Burke will have to move a few others out to create cap space.
Rob Soria - When you look at what the Jackets want in return and consider how much money Nash is set to earn over the next six years, the only logical spot for him to be on Monday afternoon is Columbus. Any GM that is willing to rip their team apart heading into the playoffs, should have their head examined. Could he go to a non-playoff team? Possibly but again that $7.8 million cap is nearly obscene. His best NHL season to date was 78 points in 2008-09 and marks the only time he has topped seventy points. Not worth the hype.
Jeff Stevenson - While I'd love to say the Jets we know that is not the case. If he gets moved and that is a big if, I feel he will join Brad Richards in New York. My gut says Nash and Carter for that matter won't get moved until the offseason.
Marshall Stevenson - If you want to know what uniform Rick Nash will be wearing next week, just go back and look at what uniform he's been wearing all season. That's right, I don't expect him to get moved at all before the trade deadline. While the situation in Columbus doesn't look great, they've got some power in Nash and Carter. I would look to see these two move in a huge blockbuster deal, likely for draft picks and some second or third line players in the off season. Who knows, maybe they can end up with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd draft picks.
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