Columbus Blue Jackets

It's no secret the Columbus Blue Jackets have been trying to move captain Rick Nash to help reshape the future of the team.

Since February, Nash has found his name linked in many trade rumors involving several different teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings.

Columbus' general manager Scott Howson knows a hot commodity when he has one, and wants a big return in exchange for Nash.

Howson made it clear that he is looking for a couple of immediate impact forwards, a first round draft pick, and two to three top prospects.

Every team interested in Nash believed that the asking price was way too high, which is why Nash was not traded before the February trade deadline last season. Many believed that teams would be more willing to agree to the demands around draft time and in the offseason.

However, we are now in mid-July and Nash has yet to be moved by Columbus.

Once other big name free agents like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were signed, the Nash talks were supposed to heat back up with the teams that missed out.

Those two were signed by Minnesota several weeks ago and yet, the Nash talks remain cold.

Over the past few months, almost no progress has been made on a deal as Howson does not plan on substantially lowering his asking price.

It was reported earlier by Yahoo! Sports that the Red Wings made a "huge" offer for Nash earlier in the week, but the deal was turned down yet again.

Not wanting to see Nash several times on a division rival is understandable, but the Jackets may not be receiving any offers better than the one Detroit put right in front of them.

Howson is asking for teams to pretty much disassemble their roster of talent and prospects to bring back just one player, which is too much for teams to give. However, Howson will not budge.

With Howson's asking price staying put until he gets what he wants brings about the question of whether Nash will stay in Columbus.

Howson stated that there are no deadlines on moving his captain and that he will remain patient, but the 2012-2013 season is right around the corner in just two-and-a-half months.

When asked about the possibility of Nash staying, Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline talked about what training camp might be for the Jackets,

"Nash could attend training camp, which would be an awkward scene, attracting widespread media attention."

Nash getting traded was inevitable at the beginning of the offseason and now there is a chance he may continue to play for the franchise that made it clear they wanted to get rid of him.

And according to HockeyBuzz.com, the Jackets may be starting to realize this and are even considering trying to make things right with the face of the Jackets' franchise,

source: jackets are having internals and discussing a completely revised strategy regarding Rick and his future.

ek: by revised you mean....?

source: revised. haha. re-thinking everything.

ek: so they are considering a more realistic asking price? changing demands?

source: could also be considering not moving him at all. ***** straight up told me they are considering meeting in attempt to mend fences. re-selling him on the program.

How do you mend the fences with a player after telling him the franchise will move on without him?

Unless someone meets his demands, Scott Howson will have to think about that long and hard before training camp begins.

Having a player on the team that does not want to be there can set Columbus back even farther than they were before, just look at last year's situation with Jeff Carter.

And the media attention and distractions the situation would bring would greatly affect the focus of a team that is trying to rebuild themselves into a solid contender.

The Jackets still have some time to trade Nash, and the Philadelphia offer sheet for Shea Weber could help heat up trade talks. With the possibility of Weber joining the Atlantic division, the New York Rangers may finally be calling again asking about Nash.

However, Howson cannot be as patient as he may want to be as the summer is quickly coming to an end.

This season is a make-or-break one for Howson and if he cannot move his star, he will have to find a way to keep Nash happy so he's not out of a job by next summer.

Another day gone, and another day that Rick Nash is still a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Not only that, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline, it's becoming apparent you shouldn't expect that to change any time soon.

Trade talks regarding Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash have gone cold in recent days. Make that colder.

(Scott) Howson, who has a reputation for extreme patience, seems more resolute than ever. He has insisted since February, when he first made Nash’s trade request public, that he will only do a deal when the deal is right for the Blue Jackets.

While Blue Jackets fans are likely ready to rid themselves of Nash, who has been at the center of trade talk since February, they should feel confident their general manager is practicing "extreme patience."

Nash isn't just some piece of garbage you throw away at the first chance you get.

The nine-year veteran has scored 30 or more goals in seven of his past eight seasons. He has racked up three seasons of at least 60 points and one 79-point year over that span. He is a five-time All-Star and is seen as one of the league's top forwards.

Oh, and he's still just 28. 

So despite Nash wanting out, the Blue Jackets organization can't afford to rush things and get a less-than-ideal package in return. 

He's too valuable to let that happen.

Now, this doesn't mean a trade doesn't need to happen, because it does. It just means the Blue Jackets, who still have Nash on contract until 2018, hold all the power in the situation.

Yes, if they fail to trade their star winger before training camp, things will get a little awkward. But do you really think Nash would hold out, knowing how much money he would lose as a result?

No, he'll keep playing, no matter how disgruntled he might get. 

When it comes down to it, the Jackets have plenty of time to make things happen. They reportedly want a few NHL-caliber forwards in return (per NHL.com, via Rotoworld), and while that may not be on the table currently, there's a better chance of a team getting desperate once the free agency market dries up. 

Sooner or later, the right deal will make itself available for Columbus. These things just take time. 

Patience is a virtue, and Scott Howson is being wise to display his. 

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Well the Rick Nash talks have taken off once again. There seems to be several angles to this situation, but only so many solutions. Does Nash want to leave? Does the general manager Scott Howson need to trade him? All of these questions have lead to a huge story throughout the NHL offseason.   

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo!'s Puck Daddy provides a close look at Nash's choices for a new home. Clearly, Nash would like a "set-up" man to help him "close" some wins.  According to Wyshynski, Nash will only play for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks. 

Surprise, surprise.  

For Nash to consistently collect 70-plus points, at least an above-average playmaking center is required. Jeff Carter is far from that, making this a poor attempt by the front office to get Nash some help. This makes you wonder who Scott Howson thought would be passing the puck last year.  

First and foremost, management should have realized this long ago. Rick Nash is an elite-level goalscorer, but remains only that. His best statistical season came in the Blue Jackets' only playoff appearance in 2009. Nash scored 79 points that year, 40 of them being goals.  

Nash signed an eight-year $62 million commitment with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the following offseason; that's a cap hit of $7.8 million until 2017-2018. Has Columbus really changed that much since then? While his frustrations have grown, the team's unsuccessful seasons have been consistent.

Why the drama now? He's only 28 years old.  

Nash can play out a few more seasons with the Blue Jackets before he makes the decision to go to a contender. Would it not be more fulfilling to do it with the team that drafted you, and has paid you millions of dollars every season?  

It surely isn't easy, but this is a sentiment that used to be carried with great honour, just ask Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic. Even though the success of Yzerman and Sakic will be experienced by only a handful of players, this should be a lesson in loyalty for the young players trying to chase success early in their careers. 

However, Nash's eight-year commitment is definitely a two-way street, and must be respected by both parties. 

An article by Ben Chodos of Bleacher Report addresses the current demands of the Blue Jackets. Howson's demands are definitely steep, but what would you expect from a general manager on the hot seat trying to trade his only highly valuable forward?

Draft picks and two NHL-ready youngsters will definitely help him keep his job. The problem is, no team would be willing to pay that price for a one-dimensional winger with a cap hit of almost $8 million. 

The Blue Jackets have had terrible success with the NHL Entry Draft since Nash's selection. Both Nikolai Zherdev (heartbreaking selection, just look at the draft class) and Nikita Filatov were easily the biggest disappoints for the Blue Jackets, followed closely by Pascal Leclaire, Gilbert Brule, Derick Brassard and Jakub Voráček. The worst part of it all, every single one of these players were a top 10 draft pick. If you go through the possible selections, I'm sure Rick Nash would love to build a time machine with his 7.8 million a year. 

With the addition of Jack Johnson at the trade deadline, the Blue Jackets improved their biggest issue, defence. Drafting the most NHL-ready defenceman in Ryan Murray was also a great move to solidify their blue line. With the signing of Adrian Aucoin in the offseason, The Blue Jackets have improved their defence tremendously. 

A not-so-far-down-the-list problem is goaltending, which was vastly improved by signing Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky had a great season with the Flyers in 2010-2011, which can only help the current goaltending woes in Columbus. Steve Mason will definitely feel the heat now, if he's not already a back-up in the eyes of the coaches.

Lastly, the forwards are the youngest part of this team, and will need time to grow. With a captain like Rick Nash to show them the way, the Columbus Blue Jackets can still have a successful rebuild.

This team will ultimately be lost without him. He's everything to the Blue Jackets' organization, hence the premium price for Nash's services. Including a 37-year-old Vinny Prospal and 31-year-old Derek Mackenzie, the average age of the current corps of forwards is approximately 26 years old.

The team is not bad by any means, but needs time to come together, especially after the abysmal drafts of the early-mid 2000s. It's been a slow process, but they seem to be moving in the right direction now. A lot of the play down the middle will require Derick Brassard to truly hit his potential, while Ryan Johansen, their best offensive prospect, needs to develop soon for this team to have any success in the future.    

Trading Rick Nash does not make Columbus better, but pushes them backwards in the rebuilding process. With the current pieces they have, this seems like an unnecessary venture.  

Rick Nash is still young and playing for a very youthful team. Signing an eight-year commitment, even though he could have gone elsewhere, suggests that Nash once had hopes for this franchise. Nash has done everything for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the team has not held up their end of the bargain.

Is it too late? Seems like it.

With huge improvements in the Blue Jackets' camp, Nash should consider sticking it out for a few more seasons. Nevertheless, if he does stay in Columbus and they continue down this abysmal path, all the power to Rick Nash.     

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been unable to strike a deal to move left winger Rick Nash, but both parties stand to benefit from a trade and the team must make the deal soon.

The Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline reported via Twitter that nothing was certain as far as where and when Nash would be sent away. 

Many have asked: One call can change all, but I get no sense that a Rick Nash trade is imminent. Holding pattern for now. #CBJ

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 10, 2012

Nash was the top pick of the 2002 draft and has spent his entire career with the Blue Jackets.

The 6’4”, 216 pound forward had 30 goals and 29 assists this past season. He is a five-time All-Star and the captain of the team. 

His best season came in 2008-09 when he had 40 goals and 39 assists for a total of 79 points. This output was good enough to get the Blue Jackets in the playoffs for the first time in Nash’s career, but the Detroit Red Wings swept the team in the first round. 

That was the only time during Nash’s tenure that the Blue Jackets have been in the postseason, and the team had the worst record in hockey this past year. 

The team’s woes prompted a trade request from Nash, one of its few productive players. The winger is now one of the most coveted targets in the league.

The longer the Blue Jackets wait, the more contentious the situation will become. Nash is clearly unhappy in Columbus, and the team cannot start next season with him on the roster. 

The Blue Jackets executives are smart to shop around and find the right deal, but when teams continue to turn a cold shoulder to the king’s ransom, they are asking in return for their captain, they need to reevaluate their position. 

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the team’s current asking price is, “believed to be a couple of top young NHL-ready players with a high draft pick or two.”

At a certain point, Columbus has to slightly lower its offer if there are no takers for their captain.

The Blue Jackets will receive several prospects in return for Nash, even if they do not get quite as many as they originally hoped.

This will benefit the team going forward and Nash will be happy to play for a team that is not going through a rebuilding process. 

While no deal is looming in the short term, this is a trade that must be executed sometime soon.

Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets need to reconcile and get back on the track of building a great team in Columbus.  The NHL Draft has come and gone and the free agency window has now been open for several days, but there have been no major developments in the Rick Nash saga. 

Whether Scott Howson, GM of the Blue Jackets, is asking for too much in return for Nash can be debated.  Here are three additional reasons why this divorce in the making must be halted.

Columbus cannot afford to lose Rick Nash

If Rick Nash is traded, then who is going to fill his shoes?  It has been frequently argued throughout the blogosphere that there is no practical way for Columbus to get a top-10 player for the only superstar that Columbus has ever had. 

Rick Nash cannot afford to lose his Captain's status

Should Rick Nash be traded, it is highly unlikely that he will ever be a captain of a team again.  His performance with the Blue Jackets has been stellar.  However, one cannot say the same about his ability to lead a team and be a vocal anchor, especially when the going gets rough.

New found appreciation in Columbus for Rick Nash

It is said that one does not appreciate what one has until it is taken away.  Such is the truth in Columbus, whereby the harsh realities of the last few weeks are starting to settle in on a disheartened fanbase. 

There will be no miracles happening in the way of a superstar heading this way with the departure of Rick Nash.  Basically, all of the potential deals that could happen would result in the Blue Jackets giving up too much. 

So, the fanbase could rally behind the one hero it has had, and the past can be forgotten and forgiven as it relates to Nash's request to be traded.

But can the Blue Jackets ownership and front office find enough humility to take this brave step?  The same can be said about Rick Nash.  Is Nash willing to change his mind and stay for the good of the franchise and his career?  The question becomes, "what will it take for Rick Nash to stay in Columbus?"

It's understandable that the Columbus Blue Jackets are reluctant to trade Rick Nash.

They don't want to jump the gun too soon and miss out on a potentially better deal, and if they're trading away the cornerstone of their offense, who accounts for 60 to 80 points per year, they are forced to tread carefully amidst the trade waters.

However, in waiting too long for the perfect deal, Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson runs the risk of ending up with no deal at all.

On Thursday afternoon, TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger reported the Hurricanes have become the latest team to bow out of the Nash sweepstakes:

Carolina Hurricanes are no longer persuing Rick Nash. Cost way too high. CBJ believed to be after Jeff Skinner. Non-starter.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 5, 2012

Granted, there was nobody who thought trading Rick Nash would be easy. He's been the most-discussed name on the trade circuit since February, when he (and his agent) made it known he wanted out of Columbus before the 2012 trade deadline.

That obviously didn't happen, and just because Nash wants to be somewhere else doesn't necessarily mean the team is going to rush to accommodate him, especially when there's not enough in it for them.

However, hanging on to a disgruntled star until it's too late and getting stuck with him because your asking price is too high is a recipe for disaster, and it's not a situation that's going to benefit either Columbus or Nash.

Take the case with Carolina. The Blue Jackets wanted 20-year-old center Jeff Skinner to be included in a trade package for Nash, and that was never going to happen because Skinner is far younger, far cheaper and projects to be just as productive in his career as a player like Nash. No matter who else might have been included in that potential package, that deal would have made so little sense for the Hurricanes that you have to wonder what Howson and the Blue Jackets were thinking in proposing it.

Is this how all the negotiations for Nash have gone? The Blue Jackets' requests have been outlandish, and as a result, all of the potential takers have fallen by the wayside?

If Columbus is truly committed to trading Nash, it might just have to accept a scenario that falls short of the ideal. The longer this uncertainty lasts, the more unpleasant this situation is going to become for both the team and for Nash.

The last thing the Blue Jackets want is to wait so long that there is nothing remotely appealing on the table anymore. They might have to take a good offer that's not perfect, but at least it's better than holding out so long that they just have to take what they can get—especially if what they get falls far short of Nash's true value.

The sooner the Blue Jackets get a deal worked out, the sooner they can start figuring out what their future, sans Nash, is going to look like—and the sooner they can move on from the drama that has hijacked this team for the last five months.

A weak group of free agents has increased the level of interest in potential trade targets like Rick Nash. The dynamic Columbus Blue Jackets winger scored 30 goals for the fifth straight season and has been a popular rumor mill name since before the trade deadline.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports there are no shortage of teams in the hunt to land Nash. No deal is expected until marquee free agent Zach Parise makes his decision, however, as the Blue Jackets attempt to maximize trade value.

Based on Portzline's list of teams in the mix, here's a look at the three best potential destinations for Nash. He should thrive if he lands on a team that has talent around him, something the Blue Jackets weren't able to provide.

1. New York Rangers

The Rangers have been a part of the Nash sweepstakes for a long time, and they continue to seem like the best fit. Putting Nash on a line with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik (when healthy) would lead to huge scoring numbers for all three guys.

It would also allow Nash to play in a huge market. After spending his entire career in Columbus, heading to New York would probably be a bit of culture shock. But it would also give him a chance to get the respect he deserves after being overlooked for so long.

Since the Rangers already have a solid defense and Henrik Lundqvist in goal, adding Nash to an already solid offensive attack would be the piece they need to make a run at a championship. It doesn't get any better than that for Nash or New York.

2. Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia traded James van Riemsdyk to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Luke Schenn, which leaves an opening among the top six forwards that Nash would fill perfectly. He would make one of the league's top-scoring offenses even more dangerous.

The Flyers have plenty of star players, including young guns Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux, which would take a lot of pressure off Nash. After being the focal point of every team's defensive game plan while in Columbus, he would be just another weapon in Philadelphia.

Just like with the Rangers, Nash would make the Flyers an even bigger threat in the Eastern Conference. Every goal is like gold in the playoffs because the play shifts so much toward defense, so adding an elite scorer like Nash would be huge.

3. San Jose Sharks

A potential dark horse in the race is San Jose. The Sharks, who have the trade chips to make a deal happen, are perennial contenders, but haven't been able to get over the hump. Nash would give them another big-name scorer to improve their chances.

The one thing the Sharks have that few other teams do is depth up the middle. They have three talented centers, headlined by veteran Joe Thornton, which means if Nash doesn't click on one line, he can shift around until he finds a comfort zone.

San Jose would be Nash's top option if he wants to remain out of the spotlight in New York or Philadelphia. He would still have a great chance to win, but without the big stage of those markets. That makes the Sharks a dangerous sleeper in the sweepstakes.