Rick Nash Trade Rumors: Blue Jackets Shouldn't Budge Before Deadline

They came from far and wide around the NHL to court Rick Nash, to ask for his hand (and his skates) in an on-ice marriage in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Each time, the Columbus Blue Jackets listened intently to the dowries laid at their feet before pushing for more, rightfully requesting the world of anyone hoping to pry away the team's first and only franchise star.

The Los Angeles Kings came calling to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but wound up instead with misfit center Jeff Carter.

The Nashville Predators made a push, but ultimately opted instead for Andrei Kostitsyn from the Montreal Canadiens.

The New York Rangers were in on Nash for a time, until the Jackets essentially demanded that the Blueshirts mortgage a significant chunk of their future in exchange for the star winger—a price tag at which GM Glen Sather balked.

That leaves the San Jose Sharks and the Toronto Maples Leafs as the most likely suitors for Nash at present, though Columbus GM Scott Howson needn't force a trade if he can't find one to his liking. As much as Rick may want out of Ohio, he has little leverage to use against his club at present, thanks to a contract that could keep him in Columbus through the 2017-18 season.

That's not to say that Howson shouldn't or won't move Nash eventually. Nash clearly wants out of Columbus, especially after reaching the playoffs but once in his previous eight years with the league's current basement dwellers. It would certainly behoove the Jackets to move their wantaway star to jumpstart a full-scale rebuild.

That being said, there's no reason for Howson to rush into anything just yet. Again, Nash isn't about to hit the open market anytime soon, and if the Jackets are keen to start over, they must be certain to exercise plenty of patience and careful planning in the process.

As such, Howson has been wise to refuse "lowball" offers for Nash. He'll have the whole summer to strike up serious conversations about Nash with more teams, thereby creating a bidding war to drive up the bounty that the Jackets would get in return for their star.

Because, if the Jackets are indeed destined for a divorce from Nash, they might as well pinch it for every possible penny. He's meant too much to hockey in Columbus for the team to acquiesce to the pressures of the deadline and let him slip away.

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