NHL Trade Rumors: Rick Nash Looks to Be The Prize of The Deadline

The NHL is enjoying a ridiculous amount of parity this season, and it’s provided hope for almost every fan base.

The problem with that is the lack of any roster transactions. All but two teams are within 10 points of a playoff spot which means one hot two week stretch and you’re in business. Because of that, teams aren’t willing to throw in the towel with the Feb. 27 deadline quickly approaching.

One of the two teams without playoff aspirations is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have a mere 38 points on the season—11 fewer than the next worst team in the league.

They are in desperate need a shakeup and what better way to do so than trade their best player Rick Nash. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that while Nash was off limits last week, the plan is beginning to change:

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Last week, the Blue Jackets' brass -- owner John P. McConnell, president Mike Priest, Howson, senior advisor Craig Patrick, interim coach Todd Richards and perhaps others -- met to discuss the club's plans as it heads toward the deadline. In that meeting, it was determined that the possibility of trading Nash needed to be explored.

In the days that followed, the Blue Jackets met with Nash and/or his agent, Joe Resnick, where the plan was presented. Nash, who has a no-movement clause for this season and the three following seasons, would have to approve any trade.

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Nash has complete control of the situation and would probably narrow his list of teams down to only a few. Yet with 39 points on the year, Nash is certainly worth trading for to put your team over the top. The 27-year-old is a highly intelligent player who doesn’t have an out-of-control ego and appears open to a trade at this point.

He sounds like a guy that is loyal to the only franchise he has ever played for, but understands the nature of the business:

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I'm a Blue Jacket right now. I've played my whole career here and it's a special place to me. So as of right now I'm a Blue Jacket.

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Key phrase is “as of right now.” He knows the writing is on the wall and he also knows that getting traded will give him new lease on the 2011-2012 season. Playing out the string for another two months just doesn’t’ sound as fun as getting throw into the mix for a Stanley Cup.

So while the rumors in most NHL cities are incredibly quiet, it looks like there beginning to get louder and louder in the capital city of Ohio.