NHL Rumors: Blue Jackets Better off Waiting Until Summer to Trade Rick Nash

Amidst all the hustle and bustle about Rick Nash at the approach of the 2012 NHL trade deadline, the Columbus Blue Jackets did something right for once.

They resisted temptation and held onto their franchise star for the rest of the season.

Jackets GM Scott Howson did give in on one count: he revealed that Nash had requested a trade out of Columbus in January, thereby outing the winger and throwing him under the bus in one fell swoop.

And that was before Nash was once again faced with the grim reality of playing for the worst team in hockey for a few more months, at the very least.

That aside, at least Howson made the right call by keeping Nash on the roster until summer. With Nash signed through the 2017-18 season, the Jackets had no need to rush into any deal to send their first and only star packing. Just about every team called—and balked—at Howson's asking price, and those conversations figure to resume once the offseason arrives and front offices have some time to rearrange their rosters and clear cap space.

In all likelihood, Howson will get what he wants for Nash, however high the asking price, if for no other reason than that Nash is a top-flight player with the talent and skill to make a good team great. There was no need for Columbus to pull the trigger on a deal that didn't suit their needs.

Howson could lose quite a bit of leverage, though, if his post-deadline comments prove to be at all irksome to Nash. Should Nash come out demanding a trade as a result, the rest of the league could potentially prey on the Jackets' vulnerability with lowball offers.

For now, though, the puck remains firmly in Columbus' end. The Jackets are already well on their way to a full-scale rebuild, what with a bead on the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft and the haul of picks and young players gleaned from sending away Jeff Carter and Antoine Vermette.

Rick Nash will play a big part in how the process unfolds from here on out, be it as a player on the roster or a massive trade chip on the open market.

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