NHL Trade Deadline: What the Asking Price for Rick Nash Needs to Be

It was revealed last week in the Columbus Dispatch that the Columbus Blue Jackets' captain Rick Nash was available before the trade deadline.

The face of the franchise had never been considered a possible trade target during his eight-year career until the Jackets were forced to consider a fire sale and rebuild period, after only making the playoffs once in their 11-year history.

Nash will undoubtedly bring back the biggest return for the Blue Jackets and could help speed up their rebuild process if they find a suitable trade partner.

As soon as it was announced that Nash was on the market, Columbus got calls from all around league about what the Jackets were looking for in return for the 27-year-old Canadian.

Unfortunately for some of those teams, Nash has a no-movement clause and has a short list of teams he would be willing to waive it for.

With only four or five teams on the list, the Jackets have spent a copious amount of time researching those team's players, prospects and draft picks.

Columbus is giving up a proven 40-goal scorer and wants a lot back in return for him.

General manager Scott Howson will be getting plenty of offers in the last few days before the trade deadline and will have to consider which move will be the best for the Jackets moving forward.

The Blue Jackets need a lot of help in their rebuild and should not consider any trade offers—unless they have these items included.

1a) Goaltending

One of the Blue Jackets' biggest issues in the past few seasons has been their goaltending.

Steve Mason was once believed to be the future in net for the Jackets after winning the Calder Trophy in 2009.

However, since then Mason has struggled with consistency. Some nights he would stand on his head, leading the Jackets to victory, while other nights it seemed like he could not stop a beach ball.

The Jackets have made it clear that Mason's time as the team's No. 1 goaltender will come to an end after the season is over and will look for an immediate upgrade.

Two of the most talented goalies who could be on the market this February are Vancouver's Cory Schneider and Los Angeles' Johnathan Bernier, making both teams high on the Jackets' list of suitors for Nash.

There are a lot of teams that desperately need help in net heading into the postseason, making Schneider and Bernier two of the most coveted players on the market.

In able to acquire either goalie, their respective teams will be looking for something big in return, which is where Nash could make talks between the Jackets and these teams very interesting.

A team lives and dies with their goaltender, and the Jackets are in desperate need of a new franchise No. 1.

If they wait until free agency in the summer, these two talented goaltenders could be off the market.

1b) Defense

If the Jackets cannot get the goaltender they are after, another area they need a lot of help in is on the blue line.

Columbus made a huge signing in the offseason when they acquired the negotiating rights for defenseman James Wisniewski, signing him before the free agent deadline.

Wisniewski was supposed to be the team's power play quarterback, but an early season suspension combined with time on the injured reserve list caused the Jackets to scramble to try and find a replacement.

Columbus was forced to call up some of its defensive prospects, like John Moore and David Savard, to try and fill the void, but the Blue Jackets continued to struggle throughout the season.

Moore and Savard could be able to contribute more next season, but the Jackets are still in need of an upgrade on the blue line because Wisniewski cannot do it all.

As well as Johnathan Bernier, another player the Kings could offer is defenseman Jack Johnson.

A package deal that includes the two of them could make Los Angeles the front runners for Nash.

The Kings are in desperate need of some scoring help, as they are currently ranked last in goals per game, and a player like Nash could be a huge help in a playoff push.

Once thought of as not interested in Nash, the Philadelphia Flyers' interest in him has seemed to increase.

The Flyers were in need of some defensive help themselves with the injury to Chris Pronger, and got it when they traded for Dallas' Nicklas Grossman.

Philadelphia was not done there, acquiring Tampa's Pavel Kubina later in the week.

It is believed, according to Hockey Buzz, that the move for Kubina could lead to a much bigger move down the road.

Could Kubina be part of a package deal that the Flyers propose to Columbus for Nash?

1c) Scoring

If the Jackets deal Nash, they will need a replacement when it comes to scoring.

Nash has consistently contributed 30-plus goals each of the past four seasons and would leave an obvious hole on the Jackets' top scoring line.

One of the teams rumored to be interested in acquiring Nash is the New York Rangers.

The Rangers are playing well this season and could make a serious push for the Cup. An addition of Nash would most likely make New York one of the most dangerous teams heading into the playoffs.

If the Rangers were able to acquire Nash, it is clear, according to Sporting News, that the Jackets would ask for 25-year-old Brandon Dubinsky in return.

Dubinsky has struggled this year, with only six goals and 19 assists, but he has shown in past seasons that he can contribute, registering at least 40-points in each of the last four seasons.

Another Ranger the Jackets could be interested in is 21-year-old Derek Stepan, who has had back-to-back impressive seasons in New York.

The Boston Bruins are also rumored to be interested in Nash and could give some scoring power in return if Columbus had their way.

The Jackets seem to be fond of center David Krejci or left winger Milan Lucic, but the Bruins may be hesitant to deal either player, as well as goaltender Tuukka Rask.

Nash will no doubt help anyone that acquires him, but having to part ways with young offensive talent will make any team think twice before calling Columbus.

2) Prospects

Along with immediate help, the Jackets will also be looking for talented prospects.

If Columbus is heading into a rebuild, being able to stock pile young talent will undoubtedly create a bright future for this young franchise.

Trading Rick Nash could speed up the process by bringing in some of the most talented young players, who could become future NHL superstars.

This season's trade deadline could completely revamp the Blue Jackets prospect pool with what the team could get from Nash, as well as other available players Jeff Carter, Antoine Vermette and Curtis Sanford.

If the Boston Bruins have any hopes of acquiring Rick Nash, the Jackets will most likely ask for defenseman Dougie Hamilton in return.

Hamilton is one of the most talented defenseman prospects and could be too costly for the Bruins to give up.

Others the Jackets could ask for include New York Rangers' left winger Chris Kreider, or Philadelphia pair Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier.

The Flyers' drafted Couturier with the first-round pick acquired from the Blue Jackets' trade for Jeff Carter.

The Jackets will have to be careful and do their research when it comes to looking for suitors for Rick Nash, because acquiring a dud-prospect could be yet another set back in a long list of struggles the franchise has had to deal with.

3) High Draft Pick

To cap off a deal for one of the best players in the NHL, the Jackets will look to stock pile draft picks for the 2012 Entry Draft and beyond.

With the worst record in the NHL, the Jackets have a good chance of getting this year's first overall draft pick, one they would most likely use on Russian Nail Yakupov.

The Jackets have had some bad relationships with Russian draft picks in the past—Nikolay Zherdev and Nikita Filatov to name but two—but would be stupid to think twice about passing over such an offensive weapon like Yakupov.

By trading Nash and possibly Jeff Carter, the Blue Jackets could get two more high draft picks and have their choice of three of the top talents in this year's draft class.

If Columbus was to trade both Nash and Carter, Yakupov and the other picks would have a great opportunity to make the team in the offseason, and immediately contribute to the building Blue Jackets.

According to ESPN.com, Yakupov is too good to back to juniors and if he does not make an NHL roster in 2012, he could find his way back to Russia.

The more draft picks the Jackets are able to acquire, the better the chance the team has at having a successful rebuild and finally making a consistent push for the playoffs.