NHL Trade Rumors: Blue Jackets Will Come out on Top by Trading Rick Nash

The Columbus Blue Jackets have put Rick Nash on the trading block, and several teams have shown major interest. When a deal does get done, the Blue Jackets will have improved their team. 

Newsday’s Arthur Staple reported via Twitter that the team will be asking for a serious haul in return for its captain.

Nash is an excellent player, but Columbus finished dead last in the league this past season with 65 points, and the team badly needs help in multiple areas. 

The team drafted Nash first overall in 2002, and he has had a productive nine-year career in Ohio. He tied for the league lead in goals in 2004 and has been selected to the Western Conference All-Star team five times. 

He is an imposing winger at 6’4” and 216 pounds. His size and skill have made him a hot commodity. 

Adam Portzline of the Columbia Dispatch reported that the New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes have all shown interest in making a deal. 

With so much buzz surrounding Nash, the Blue Jackets will be able to get all these teams to bid against each other and ensure that they receive something close to the king’s ransom that Staple reported.

The Blue Jackets have never won a playoff series with Nash, and the team would do well to part ways and continue its rebuilding process. 

The teams listed above are looking to win now, and that is why one of them will likely gut part of its roster to get Nash. 

Columbus is not going to dramatically improve next season, and the smartest move is to give up Nash and get several young, talented players.

Another added bonus to trading Nash is getting his contract off the books. In 2009, the team signed him to a massive $62.4 million deal that lasts until the 2017-18 season.

Getting rid of Nash will give the team important building blocks to improve going forward and the flexibility to continue to put together a winning roster.