Earlier in the week it was reported that the Columbus Blue Jackets would be willing to trade the face of their franchise Rick Nash after years of being stuck on a dumpster fire of a team.
Upon hearing the news, contending teams from around the NHL began to assess their own situations and put together a game plan as to what they would need to do to get Nash in the fold.
The Detroit Red Wings though at this point seem to be out in the Nash sweepstakes. This is considering the statements head coach Mike Babcock told reporters that it would probably take half of the team to get Nash in a Wings uniform.
Now of course it wouldn’t take half the team to get Nash, but in Detroit’s case it would take a hell of a lot.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports the Blue Jackets are rumored to want “at least one young roster player along with a combination of top prospects and quality draft picks” for Nash. It’s also being contended that Columbus may also be looking for a goaltender in return for Nash as well. The Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs are presumed to be on Nash’s thumbs-up list. Holding a no-movement clause, the star winger has the final say in where he eventually ends up.
With that said, Columbus could very well raise the price-tag specifically for the Wings given that they play in the same division. Plus seeing Nash go to a division rival will certainly come back to haunt them later on down the road.
In addition to the potential loss of a top prospect, draft pick and a young roster player, Nash comes with a huge contract that could very well hinder what the Wings do in the future. Through 2014-15, Nash is set to make at the very least $7.5 million dollars a season. You couple this with the loss of Lidstrom in the next year or two and you’re looking at very limited options in retooling the defense when Lidstrom decides to hang up the skates.
Ref: ESPN, Columbus Dispatch, NHLNumbers.com, Getty (image)
