NHL Trade Talk: 5 Reasons Rick Nash Has Played His Final Game in Columbus

Two weeks ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets' miserable season ended on a high note with a 7-2 blowout of the New York Islanders.

One of those goals was scored by the team's captain, Rick Nash, who many believed was playing in his final game as a Blue Jacket.

For the first time in his eight-year career in Columbus, the team's front office placed the 27-year-old on the trading block before the February trade deadline.

The Jackets were at the bottom of the standings and were looking to rebuild by dealing away the team's top players for draft picks and prospects.

Nash loves the city of Columbus and when he found out the team was in rebuilding mode, he went to general manager Scott Howson and asked to be traded because he believed that trading him would bring back the most assets to the team.

The trade deadline came and went and Nash remained with the team. It was clear that no team was willing to meet Howson's demands for Nash in the middle of a playoff push.

Many teams have told Howson that they would be more willing to meet his demands after the season had ended.

Nash has been the face of the franchise ever since the team drafted him back in 2002 and the fans don't want to see him go.

However, there are many reasons to believe that the fan favorite has played his final game in a Columbus Blue Jacket uniform.

It's hard for any player in the NHL to continually have to deal with losing, and Rick Nash is no different.

In Nash's nine seasons with the team, they have only reached the playoffs once.

Usually when a player as talented as Nash is on a struggling franchise, the team looks to trade him away to a Stanley Cup contender.

However, Nash has stuck with Columbus, giving it his all to make the team competitive in the Western Conference.

When he was set to become a free agent in the summer of 2009, Nash chose to re-sign with the Jackets to an eight-year contract instead of going to free agency and being part of a non-stop bidding war.

Nash loves the city of Columbus and there is no doubt about that, but I believe he has earned the right to move on, as much as it may sadden the Columbus faithful.

It is not like Nash played two years and threw in the towel. He has dealt with eight seasons of missing out on the playoffs and he has never complained about the Jackets' misfortunes.

If the 27-year-old were to go to a contending team that is more well-known, he would finally be given the opportunity to showcase his talent on a national level.

Nash has given his all to the Columbus franchise, but one player can only do so much.

The fact that he asked for a trade this season because he felt he would bring back key assets for the Jackets' rebuilding process shows just how the captain puts the team before himself.

Nash hit the nail on the head when he said he believed he could bring back some key assets to the team in a trade situation.

Nash is undoubtedly the most talented player on the Blue Jackets and several teams have expressed interest in trading for him.

Howson has made it clear what he wants in return; an immediate impact player, multiple prospects and a first-round draft pick.

Even though no one was willing to meet those demands before the trade deadline, Howson has already been told that teams would be more willing to do so at the end of the season.

Nash is the only player on the Jackets roster who could bring back so much in return.

One main area where the Jackets need help is in net, as youngster Steve Mason has shown in the past three seasons that he is not the answer as the team's No. 1 goaltender.

Trading Nash could bring back a goaltender who has proven he has what it takes to be a team's franchise goaltender in net.

Nash could also bring back a top prospect who could replace him at the top wing position, preventing a large set-back next season.

There is a very good chance that Howson's demands will be met and if they chose to trade Nash, they would get some immediate help and possibly a third first-round pick for this year's draft.

In several of the past offseasons, the Jackets have tried to go out and acquire talent to build around Rick Nash.

Some examples include signing a talented winger to play opposite him (Kristian Huselius), acquiring an All-Star center (Jeff Carter) and signing a power-play quarterback defenseman (James Wisniewski) to create more scoring opportunities.

After the moves were made, it was believed that the upcoming season would be different and that the Jackets finally had the missing puzzle pieces to make them competitive in the tough Western Conference.

However, in their 11 years of existence, the Jackets have only reached the postseason one time and a large reason behind that was the impressive play of rookie goaltender Steve Mason.

Since then, Mason has struggled with consistency and has proven that he is not the answer in net.

Time and time again the Jackets have tried to build around Rick Nash, but the same result has occurred almost every time, with Columbus getting a head start to their golf game.

A lot of the personnel decisions can be attributed to general manager Scott Howson, but he has not always been the one in charge.

Past general managers have tried the same strategy and it never worked.

The Jackets have to realize that they cannot build a team around one player because in the end, the pressure always falls on Nash's shoulders and one player cannot do it all.

As mentioned in the previous slide, general manager Scott Howson has made some questionable calls in his time with the Blue Jackets organization.

This past offseason, he hoped that going outside of his comfort zone and being aggressive would turn things around for Columbus and keep him employed.

He traded the team's first-round pick and youngster Jakub Voracek for All-Star center Jeff Carter, and traded for the rights to defenseman James Wisniewski and signed him to a long-term contract before the free-agency period began.

However, this season went nothing as planned—Carter was traded in February, Wisniewski struggled to stay healthy and the face of the franchise and captain was put on the trading block.

The trade deadline passed and Nash remained with the Jackets. Howson stated that no team was willing to meet his demands mid-season and would be willing to wait until the offseason.

Howson should have left it at that, but instead stated that it was Nash who had requested the trade, not the other way around.

It is now all but certain that the Jackets will look to trade Nash in the offseason because teams are willing to give Howson what he wants.

All eyes will be on Howson now because if he cannot get an impressive return for Nash, he could very well likely be out of a job.

In his five years with the team, the Jackets have only made the playoffs once. Keeping Howson as GM is showing the league that finishing last in their division four out of five seasons is acceptable and that they are okay with losing.

The future of Howson's job could very well depend on what he can bring to Columbus by trading Nash. If Howson can address the team's biggest needs, he could save his job.

If he cannot, the general manager position could very well likely be part of the rebuilding process as well.

With the whole dilemma of the Rick Nash trade request, one question I found myself asking is would keeping him be a good thing?

When a player requests a trade, for whatever reason it may be, that request is usually granted.

If that request is denied, the front office is taking a risk of keeping a player on the team that does not want to be there.

Yes, Nash has stated in interviews that as long as he is in Columbus, he will give it his all and I don't doubt that.

But, to play the role of devil's advocate, what if Nash is just saying all of this and is hiding his true feelings like Jeff Carter did when the rumors emerged that he wanted to be traded out of Columbus?

The only person who knows whether Rick Nash wants to continue to play in Columbus is Nash himself.

Do the Jackets want to take the risk of keeping Nash, who could possibly be unhappy where he's playing?

With Nash trade rumors surrounding the locker room for the rest of the season, other players have emerged as leaders for the team and could possibly replace Nash as the team's captain.

One player quickly becoming a leader, according to Jackets Cannon, is defenseman Jack Johnson, who was acquired in the Jeff Carter trade from Los Angeles:

"Johnson has been a captain of the 2010 US team at the World Championships, and interim coach Todd Richards has noted that Johnson's attitude and work ethic are infectious. Richards noted that night that, 'nobody works harder than Johnson.'"

Players like Johnson have stepped up and are prepared to lead this team if Nash is  traded.

The Jackets as a franchise will move forward regardless and the front office will have to decide whether No. 61 will be with them or not.