Thursday saw the Carolina Hurricanes drop out of the Rick Nash sweepstakes when it became apparent that the Columbus Blue Jackets and general manager Scott Howson were insistent on 2011 Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner being part of any trade package.
Now, it seems like another team may be ready to give up on acquiring this summer's primary trade target, as TSN analyst Darren Dreger reported Friday morning that the New York Rangers were investigating other options.
"NYR still very interest in Rick Nash," Dreger posted on his account (@DarrenDreger), "but they're not willing to wait forever. Currently exploring other options as well. Someone blink."
The Rangers have long been rumored as the most likely destination for Nash, going back to the February trade deadline. No deal was done then, but after the Blueshirts' offense sputtered in the Eastern Conference finals, there was an expectation that the Rangers would look to upgrade their offense through the acquisition of Nash, who is under contract for four more years, but is unhappy in Columbus and requested a trade last season.
Of course, there's another high-scoring winger on the trade market in the form of Anaheim Ducks star Bobby Ryan. At 25, Ryan is three years younger than Nash, and has four consecutive seasons with 30 goals or more, just one season fewer than Nash (who is one of only five players in the NHL to hit the 30-goal mark in each of the last five seasons). Jesse Spector wrote on Friday that Ryan is actually a more attractive trade candidate, and for the Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers, the native of Cherry Hill, N.J. would certainly make sense as a new acquisition.
This is the problem with Howson's trade demands. As much noise as has been made about Nash, he's not the only game in town. There may be a bit more urgency for Nash now that Zach Parise is off the market, but only one of the teams that was considered to be a serious contender for Parise - the Detroit Red Wings - is also considered a contender for Nash, and trading Nash within the Central Division could have major repercussions for Howson's future in Columbus. In addition, since Parise left the Eastern Conference to sign with the Minnesota Wild - as opposed to signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins or staying in New Jersey - the Blue Jackets lost the opportunity to play the Rangers and Flyers off of each other in a bidding war.
Of course, before all is said and done, Nash may well wind up as a Ranger (or a Flyer, for that matter). However, the fact that the Rangers are pursuing other options should be a signal to Howson that he needs to be more realistic with his trade demands.
