Following a Monday afternoon report by TSN analyst Darren Dreger that Columbus Blue Jackets left winger Rick Nash was being traded to the New York Rangers, details have begun to emerge about the deal that will send the discontented scorer to Broadway.
News of the trade has been confirmed by Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, who posted to his Twitter account (@Aportzline), "Sources tell Dispatch that Rick Nash has been traded to #NYR."
Late-breaking word from Dreger indicates that the Blue Jackets will receive center Brandon Dubinsky, defenseman prospect Tim Erixon and a first-round draft pick in addition to one other asset. Dubinsky has long been rumored as part of any Rangers package for Nash, dating back to the trade deadline. The 26-year-old Alaska native signed a four-year contract last summer worth $16.8 million but followed it up with the worst scoring output of his NHL career (10 goals, 24 assists in 77 games).
The 21-year-old Erixon, originally a first-round pick of the Calgary Flames, had two assists in 18 games for the Rangers last season after being acquired in a trade last June. A former star for Skelleftea HC in the Swedish Elite League, Erixon also had three goals and 33 assists in 52 games for the Rangers' AHL affiliate in Connecticut.
As word began to trickle out about Erixon and Dubinsky, TSN analyst Bob McKenzie named Rangers center Artem Anisimov as the fourth player in the deal. Anisimov scored 16 goals and handed out 20 assists in 79 games last season for the Rangers, and followed it up with three goals and seven assists in 20 playoff games. The Rangers' second-round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, he has 46 goals and 62 assists in 244 career NHL games.
One name that is not included in the package, according to Dreger, is Rangers forward Derek Stepan. The 22-year-old Minnesota native had 17 goals and 34 assists in his second season with the Rangers out of the University of Wisconsin, and is a bargain for at least one more season with a salary cap hit of $875,000. Nash, who had 30 goals and 29 assists in 2011-12 (his lowest output since 2006-07), carries an annual salary cap hit of $7.8 million. By the same token, the Rangers managed to make the deal without trading top forward prospect Chris Kreider or emerging stud defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
The official trade call with the NHL has not yet been made. Keep checking back to SWR for more details on the story as it develops.
