On Thursday, the San Jose Sharks were named as one of five teams in which Rick Nash would agree to go to in a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nash is Columbus' best player and is the big name in the market as the NHL trade deadline approaches, and will no-doubt make the Sharks a better team. They're in the market for some offensive firepower, having finally made defensive adjustments in the offseason.
This is the first solid link between the Sharks and any big-name player in regards to significant trade talks, the false and frankly confusing rumors surrounding Ryane Clowe earlier in the season notwithstanding. San Jose is considered a "Plan B" option as a possible landing spot, and there's a couple things to consider about Nash going forward.
Price: Nash will cost an awful lot to acquire in a trade, or at least he should. It's unclear how much Nash actually wants out of Columbus in the end, if at all. You don't have a player demanding to be traded, you have a team who has voluntarily placed him on the trade block. As noted by Fear The Fin, trade talks likely have to start with a guy like Joe Pavelski or Logan Couture.
And the prospects of losing either of those players really sucks, for the team and the fans. For the latter, look at how hard it was to see Devin Setoguchi go, even though the Sharks were acquiring a player they sorely needed. For the former, Couture is one of the most exciting young player, while Pavelski is becoming the face of the team. Pavelski also has comparable stats to Nash and comes at half the price. It's not impossible to justify those kinds of players, but it's still difficult.
Again as noted by FtF, it's certainly possible that a deal can get done with players other than those two, but that's just because Doug Wilson is magic. Yep, magic.
Divisional Rival Interest: Getting Nash makes the team better in every feasible trade situation, but there are plenty of things to consider like contract and how that player will mesh with a unit that is already leading the Pacific Division at this point in the season, while having played fewer games than their opposition. What of the other teams interested in Nash?
One of those teams is the Los Angeles Kings, and they're one of the "Plan A" options for the Blue Jackets and Nash. Unfortunately, the Kings are the team really challenging San Jose for the division right now, and with the players and pieces available for trade to acquire Nash, it could actually be beneficial for the Sharks to swoop in and get it done. It's never something you should base an entire trade on, but definitely another point to consider.
Unlikelihood Of Friendly Deal: Columbus is almost certainly going to get rid of their general manager this offseason. How in the world can the organization allow him to make a trade like this? They can only do it if the deal is really friendly for the organization, meaning that Wilson will likely have his hands full trying to get a friendly deal worked out.
There's plenty of things to consider, and while it's extremely unlikely that a deal actually gets done that sends Nash to San Jose, there's definitely a lot of talking points. As to whether or not it's worth it, the fact that it can be so heavily debated probably means that yeah, it's about even.