NHL Trade Deadline: San Jose Sharks Wise to Sit Back on Rick Nash Deal

As teams continue to scramble to try and land Columbus Blue Jackets' star right winger Rick Nash, the San Jose Sharks would be smart to back off on making a deal for the highly coveted player.

According to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garioch, the Sharks are still in on making a deal for Nash, but the price is very high—likely high enough to gut their team.

"

The Sharks still in on Nash but they could probably make a better offer to CBJ in offseason. Leafs and NYR still in talks. Price huge. #NHL

— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) February 25, 2012"

The Sharks are not exactly standing tall in the Western Conference, as they are currently sitting in seventh behind the Chicago Blackhawks with just 71 points on the season. They have quite a few teams trailing them, three of which are just sitting at three points or less.

If the Sharks made a deal for Nash, yes, they would get a stud to add to their offensive attack. But they would also be sacrificing their team going into the playoffs.

For now, the Sharks are best off to stick with their current squad, and just try to fight it out until they have an idea of where they stand after the season is over.

The team has a chance to stick around in the playoffs, and, if Nash ends up landing with an Eastern Conference squad, the team won't likely regret holding off.

If the Blue Jackets fail to even trade Nash by the deadline, the Sharks will have a shot at getting him during the offseason, as Garioch mentioned in his Tweet.

The team may be afraid to lose out on landing such a star player, but right now is not the time to risk a move such as this.

The Sharks still have a chance to make a lot of noise in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup, so there is no reason to throw a wrench into their plans right now.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase