NHL Trade Rumors: Kings Must Reel in Rick Nash to Deliver Stanley Cup to L.A.

In the NHL, it's difficult to characterize a blockbuster trade as a "must", though when it comes to the Los Angeles Kings' pursuit of Columbus Blue Jackets star Rick Nash, that may yet prove to be the case.

The Kings sport the sort of goaltending (second in save percentage)—behind Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier—and defense in front (third in goals against) to skate all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately, their offense (dead last in goals scored) would land most teams in the basement of the league, not the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Yet, that's precisely where L.A. finds itself with the trade deadline less than two weeks away. The preseason promise of championship contention, egged on by the blockbuster trade that brought Mike Richards to the City of Angels, has been tempered considerably.

In part by injuries to Richards and Simon Gagne, but also to subpar play by Jarret Stoll, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and of course Dustin Penner, he of the "delicious pancakes" incident.

For the Kings to squander the opportunity before them after years upon years of careful rebuilding by GM Dean Lombardi and allowing their young core to develop, would be a blight to the organization and likely lead to significant turnover in the front office at season's end.

As such, it makes almost too much sense—in terms of both winning and self-preservation—for the Kings to finally score with Rick Nash. They've already been prominently connected to the big winger, along with the likes of the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers, among others. They've also been mentioned as a possible suitor for some of the Jackets' other offensive pieces, most notably free-agent bust Jeff Carter.

But Nash remains the real prize and the Kings have the pieces to get a deal done. Lombardi can dangle Bernier, a talented young goalie who would instantly improve Columbus' struggles in net, along with another young player or two and/or prospect to bring Nash aboard. Nash's cap hit ($7.8 million per year through the 2017-18 season) would certainly be a tough pill to swallow, though there's no use arguing over the value of a franchise-caliber goalscorer just entering his prime over whom a team would have control for the next six-and-a-half seasons.

Especially for a team like the Kings, for whom three goals in a given game is practically cause for a parade down Figueroa St.

Imagine the celebration that would surely break out if Nash came to L.A., as a sort of "Wayne Gretzky Lite" and lead the Kings to the Cup that has so eluded them through every one of their previous 43 mostly miserable years of existence.

Acquiring Rick Nash may not be a "must" in and of itself for the Kings, but if winning—and, more specifically, winning late into the spring—is the goal then making a move of this magnitude trumps all else.

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