NHL Trade Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs and Best Possible Fits for Rick Nash

There's just one week until the NHL trade deadline and the most popular rumor mill name continues to be Columbus Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash. He's scored 19 goals in 59 games this season and has topped the 30-goal mark six times during his career.

Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports Nash has already given the Blue Jackets a list of teams he would be willing to play for if a deal is reached:

"

True to his words to The Dispatch last month, Nash said he would not stand in the way of a trade if management thought it would improve the Blue Jackets. He supplied the club with a list of teams—no more than 10, a source said—to which he would approve a trade.

Among the clubs believed to be interested are the New York Rangers, Los Angeles, San Jose, Toronto and Montreal.

"

Knowing that, let's examine the best possible fits for Nash.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are hanging on to the final Eastern Conference playoff spot for dear life right now. They could really use one marquee addition to secure their spot in the postseason. Nash would certainly fit that description and would thrive playing alongside a playmaker like Mikhail Grabovski or Tim Connolly.

One of Toronto's biggest problems has been the lack of a go-to scorer. Even though the balanced scoring approach has the team ranked inside the top 10 in goals, it lacks that special player a team can count up to come up big in clutch situations deep in games.

Moving from a cellar dweller like Columbus to a team in contention like the Leafs would provide Nash with the extra boost of motivation he needs to finish his season strong.

2. Los Angeles Kings

Just like Toronto, the Kings are in the thick of a playoff race. They are currently tied for the final spot with the Calgary Flames, so it's no surprise they are looking to make a splash at the deadline in order to give them an advantage.

The team's biggest issue has been depth up front. Anze Kopitar has carried most of the load on his shoulders and then after a few second-tier guys there's a major drop-off in production. Nash would bring some much-needed balance to the equation.

Los Angeles understands how important he would be to its chances, which is why it has been one of the most active teams in the Nash sweepstakes over the past couple weeks.

3. New York Rangers

The Rangers find themselves in a more promising position than the two other teams on this list. Since they are sitting atop the Eastern Conference, they aren't as desperate to get a deal done, but it would still benefit the team in the long run if they did.

Left wing is pretty much the only hole on the entire roster, making Nash seem like a match made in heaven. The only worry would be messing up the team chemistry that has developed. Acquiring Nash would be well worth the risk, however.

Pairing him up with Brad Richards should give opposing defensive units major problems. He could turn out to be the piece that puts them over the top come playoff time.