NHL Trade Rumors: Blue Jackets' Asking Price Too High for Fading Rick Nash

Seemingly every team in the NHL is in the mix for a playoff spot, and all of them are looking for that one player to put them over the top.

Plenty of teams foolishly believe that player is Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash.

Proicehockey.com believes that at this point the Blue Jackets are looking to cash in big. Like for “prime assets” big. A pupu platter of a proven NHL player with a few prospects and a first-round draft pick should do the trick.

This is a rip-off. The Blue Jackets are trying to coax a desperate team into taking over his giant contract while only putting up 40 points on the year. He is on pace to have his worst season since the 2006-07 campaign.  He isn’t worth mortgaging your future on.

The first-place New York Rangers have a comfortable lead in the Eastern Conference, yet have been the main team linked to Nash. Names like Brandon Dubinsky, Michael Del Zotto and Ryan McDonagh have been mentioned. This is a horrific idea. Shaking up the chemistry in the middle of such a memorable season would be a death wish.

Philadelphia is in the mix mostly because they aren’t afraid of pulling the trigger on a blockbuster deal. The problem is Nash doesn’t fit any of the needs they currently have.

While the LA Kings, who are the lowest scoring team in the league, make sense, are the Blue Jackets willing to bring in one of the Kings’ young goaltenders?

Nash possesses a no-movement clause on his contract and has reportedly given the Blue Jackets front office a list of teams he would saddle up for. That’s another hang up in a potential deal. So is a contract that still has six years of $7.8 million per season on it. He hasn’t passed the 40-goal mark since the 2008-09 season and has yet to register an 80-point season.

Nash isn’t worth the price tag it would take to obtain him. Teams should either stop fielding calls from Columbus or convince them how ridiculous they’re demands are.

Either way, don’t expect a trade unless the asking price comes down.