NHL Trade Rumors: New York Rangers Potentially Making Room for Rick Nash

The New York Rangers have put themselves in incredible position to trade for and be able to afford Columbus Blue Jackets' right winger Rick Nash.

The Rangers are currently on top of the Atlantic Division and could really benefit from a guy of Nash's caliber, especially when hunkering down for a long playoff run.

How is it possible for a team like the Rangers to be able afford such a big name as Nash though?

Anything is possible because of one simple philosophy:

Sometimes you have to go backwards to eventually move forward—it's the old addition by subtraction rule—and that's exactly what the Rangers did when they traded away forward Wojtek Wolski, according to Katie Strang of ESPNNewYork.com:

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The Rangers are believed to be front-runners for coveted Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash, although Columbus' asking price is reportedly very high.

Wolski's departure may not necessarily be a precursor to bring Nash to Broadway -- the team could also use a puck-moving defenseman and power-play specialist -- but it provides the team some flexibility.

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Strang reports that the Rangers chopped $3.8 million off of their salary cap, which is really going to come into handy when making a move for Nash—who makes $7.8 million.

This is a brilliant move by the Rangers to clear space, especially considering Wolski hasn't brought much to the ice.

If they can bring in Nash for the end of the season and into a playoff run, they will easily be one of the favorites to compete for the Stanley Cup.

The Nash trade would get all the headlines, but it's this move that set the Rangers up to make the deal.

Sometimes it's the little steps in life that get us to where we want to go.

In this case, the Rangers are hoping that moving Wolski will eventually be a case of addition by subtraction.