When Zach Parise signed with the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, business was bound to pick up in the pursuit of Columbus Blue Jackets winger Rick Nash.
For one team, however, business appears to have concluded in pursuit of the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NHL Draft.
The Carolina Hurricanes, considered longshots to ac quire the five-time All-Star in the first place, are out of the running, according to TSN analyst Darren Dreger, who reported Thursday on his Twitter account (@DarrenDreger) that the Hurricanes are no longer pursuing the 2004 Rocket Richard Trophy winner.
"[Blue Jackets] believed to be after Jeff Skinner," Dreger tweeted. "Non-starter."
The 20-year-old Skinner scored 20 goals and handed out 24 assists in his second season in the NHL despite missing 16 games with a concussion. His points-per-game average fell slightly from his rookie season - from 0.77 to 0.69 - but it compares favorably enough with Nash's 0.72 from this past season that it would hardly make sense for Carolina to trade him for Nash, as beat writer Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer noted on his Twitter account (@ice_chip).
"If Skinner had to be included in any Nash deal, it was never going to happen. That point was made clear weeks ago."
No one expects Columbus to give Nash away, and if general manager Scott Howson is going to trade his unhappy star, he needs to bring in a player who's capable of growing into a star in Columbus. However, if Howson expects a team to give up a player who already puts up numbers comparable to those of Nash and is eight years younger, then he's simply not being realistic.
Howson drew criticism following last month's NHL Draft for turning down the New York Islanders' offer of their full complement of draft picks for the second overall selection, although there was certainly a good hockey justification to be made in that instance. However, Howson's reputation for being unrealistic in trade talks won't be helped by the idea of requiring Skinner in a package for Nash.
It stands to reason that at some point, Rick Nash will get traded. He may not have the urgency of free agency on his side - he's signed through 2017-18 - but his continued unhappiness in Columbus will not help anyone if this situation is allowed to fester into another season. However, just because Nash is the biggest prize remaining available doesn't mean that teams won't move on (possibly to Anaheim and Bobby Ryan) if they aren't willing or able to meet Howson's demands.
