More: Analysis of Sharks Deadline Moves
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and Rick Nash is not on the San Jose Sharks. It's tough to see, given all of the buildup and discussion about the Sharks and the Columbus Blue Jackets - the Sharks were pegged as one of the teams in heavy pursuit of Nash, in the talks until the last minute. New York dropped out, Toronto dropped out, Los Angeles settled for another player and New York came back in.
Most likely, Columbus wouldn't budge on talks surrounding Logan Couture. San Jose told Columbus early on that Couture is not in the discussion, and no significant trade talks could be had if it starts and ends with him. Like any team should do, the Blue Jackets continued talks but in the end, held firm hoping that the deadline might force the Sharks into action.
Thankfully, they didn't, because Couture is too much to give up in this situation. Nash is great and would make the team better, but Couture is a rising star in the NHL and the Sharks need to keep him. There's no way a deal should have been struck with Couture being the guy that goes as the big portion of San Jose's trade.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that Nash will stay put for the remainder of the season and was not traded at the deadline:
Confirmed by #CBJ GM Scott Howson that Nash has not been traded by 3 p.m. deadline.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) February 27, 2012
Earlier, Nash's agent said that the list of approved teams for trade, which included the Sharks, would not change in the offseason. With Nash reportedly wanting to get a deal done before the deadline, it makes a lot of sense to assume we'll be back here, revisiting Nash trade rumors once the offseason hits, with the Sharks right in the middle of it. They're bigger on offseason deals, anyway.
There were also reports that the Rangers came back with a huge offer for Nash, and the Blue Jackets declined, further lending credibility to the line of thought that they really wanted Couture. If the Sharks couldn't get a deal done and the Rangers couldn't with something mammoth, it would have taken something like Couture to get it done. This is likely due to the questionable job security of the Blue Jackets' current front office.