NHL Trade Rumors: The Columbus Blue Jackets Must Move Rick Nash Soon

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been unable to strike a deal to move left winger Rick Nash, but both parties stand to benefit from a trade and the team must make the deal soon.

The Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline reported via Twitter that nothing was certain as far as where and when Nash would be sent away. 

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Many have asked: One call can change all, but I get no sense that a Rick Nash trade is imminent. Holding pattern for now. #CBJ

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 10, 2012"

Nash was the top pick of the 2002 draft and has spent his entire career with the Blue Jackets.

The 6’4”, 216 pound forward had 30 goals and 29 assists this past season. He is a five-time All-Star and the captain of the team. 

His best season came in 2008-09 when he had 40 goals and 39 assists for a total of 79 points. This output was good enough to get the Blue Jackets in the playoffs for the first time in Nash’s career, but the Detroit Red Wings swept the team in the first round. 

That was the only time during Nash’s tenure that the Blue Jackets have been in the postseason, and the team had the worst record in hockey this past year. 

The team’s woes prompted a trade request from Nash, one of its few productive players. The winger is now one of the most coveted targets in the league.

The longer the Blue Jackets wait, the more contentious the situation will become. Nash is clearly unhappy in Columbus, and the team cannot start next season with him on the roster. 

The Blue Jackets executives are smart to shop around and find the right deal, but when teams continue to turn a cold shoulder to the king’s ransom, they are asking in return for their captain, they need to reevaluate their position. 

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the team’s current asking price is, “believed to be a couple of top young NHL-ready players with a high draft pick or two.”

At a certain point, Columbus has to slightly lower its offer if there are no takers for their captain.

The Blue Jackets will receive several prospects in return for Nash, even if they do not get quite as many as they originally hoped.

This will benefit the team going forward and Nash will be happy to play for a team that is not going through a rebuilding process. 

While no deal is looming in the short term, this is a trade that must be executed sometime soon.