NHL Trade Rumors: Why Rick Nash to the Philadelphia Flyers Makes Sense

I hate trade rumors.

The NHL trade market is a lot less dynamic than that of the MLB or NBA, and during the salary cap era, blockbuster deals before the trade deadline have been at a rapid decrease.

But reports that Columbus Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash might be headed to the Philadelphia Flyers makes complete sense to me.

Other teams may have more prospects they are willing to part with, but the Flyers have the pieces the struggling Columbus franchise badly needs.

If they deal Nash, they’re losing a power forward. They’re also a mess in net, and four of their defensemen are free agents this year. Yes, they need center depth, but as the Jeff Carter deal illustrated, they’re going to need to fill a lot more positions to turn the franchise around.

According to CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio, there are two speculative deals on the table at this point:

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As for the asking price for a player of  Nash’s caliber? Probably Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn.

But … it may be something else. It may be James van Riemsdyk, another player, plus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Or a high draft pick besides a player.

The Flyers don’t want to move Couturier or Schenn, but if I’m Howson, I want both those players.

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Rookies Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier for Nash shouldn’t happen. In fact, Couturier should be untouchable at this point.

However, I feel that a deal of James van Riemsdyk, Sergei Bobrovsky, Marc-Andre Bourdon and a first rounder would benefit both teams.

JVR’s ceiling is Rick Nash, and he’s twice shown that he can be a major factor in the postseason.

Bobrovsky should be a starter in the NHL. He’s worlds better than current Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason; he’s had (minimal) playoff experience, and this is only his second year in the league, unlike backup Curtis Sanford.

Filling in for injured defenseman Chris Pronger, Bourdon has shown this year that he can be a consistent force on the blueline, and he’s only a rookie. Then the first-round pick to round out of the deal.

Maybe (and this is a big maybe) Schenn can be added to the deal as a future No. 1 center. But this is something Philadelphia general manger Paul Holmgren would have to greatly weigh in his mind. In return, the Flyers get a star winger to play with center Claude Giroux for years to come, as well as the leader the team severely needs.

Obviously, giving up prospects is hard after collecting so many in the offseason, but with that deal, it works both ways. The Flyers would be losing prospects, but ones that can be replaced.

Ilya Bryzgalov is the Flyers starter, whether the fans like it or not. He’s proven himself countless times, and one season of inconsistent play won’t change that. Keeping Bobrovsky—who's getting paid $1.75 million as a backup—doesn't make sense. They also have a really solid prospect in Niko Hovinen, so he'd be up next year if they dealt Bob.

Like I said, JVR's ceiling is Rick Nash, so that's an instant replacement. The play of defensive prospect Erik Gustaffson has impressed this year, so he would fill Bourdon’s role.

The biggest argument against going for Nash is that team defense is the major need of the team right now. But the thing is that there's no one on the market worth going after.

Holmgren shouldn’t (and will not) trade for Nashville defensemen Shea Weber or Ryan Suter before the deadline. It’s almost a certainty that the Predators are going to hold on to them since they are a playoff contender, and I’m sure the management feels they can re-sign at least one of them in the offseason.

At season’s end, the Flyers need to reassess where their defense is at. Will No. 1 defenseman Chris Pronger be returning from injury? Does the team really need veteran Andreas Lilja? Did newly acquired Nicklas Grossman do enough to warrant a re-signing? Is unrestricted free-agent Matt Carle’s inevitable pay upgrade worth the money?

Regardless of those questions, I think it’s obvious that the Flyers will be in talks with either Weber or Suter on joining the team. From there, a lot of those questions can be answered with more purpose, especially with the cap in mind.

The only other argument is that the Flyers are doing pretty well with putting the puck in the back of the net. The team leads the league in scoring at 3.31 goals per game. Are the Flyers scoring? Yes, but they don't have a legit scoring power forward.

JVR can become that, and an aging Jaromir Jagr is playing great, but Nash is one of the best players in the league at 27 years old on a downtrodden team. He's consistent—a two-time 40-goal scorer—and a proven leader, something the Flyers lack.

If they weren’t Stanley Cup contenders already, the Flyers would be Cup favorites with a smart trade for Nash and an offseason signing of either Suter or Weber.

It’s going to take a miracle, but Holmgren has pulled off at least two of those in his time as Philly’s GM.