The Columbus Blue Jackets have just sent Rick Nash to the New York Rangers in exchange for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Tim Erixon on top of a first-round pick. Initial feelings are that the Blue Jackets are on the losing end of this deal, as none of those players inspire much confidence at all. Dubinsky had a very tough year a season ago, while Anisimov is still a lot of raw potential. Erixon is the player who whined his way off of the Calgary Flames and is now going to Columbus? Wonder how much of an issue he'll be.
At any rate, it's worth noting because the San Jose Sharks were very interested in acquiring Nash. At the trade deadline last season, they were in the talks until the very end, but Columbus general manager Scott Howson insisted that Logan Couture be part of the trade, which the Sharks were not able to facilitate. Months went by without the two sides talking, but the Sharks kept their offer on the table, whatever it included.
Well, if anybody saw what the Rangers gave up and thought that the Sharks missed a solid opportunity to pull Nash with a trade of equal value without including Couture, it's worth noting that the Rangers were getting something of a deal. As David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News notes on Twitter, a potential deal to the west coast would have cost more. Which likely means that Nash wanted to go to New York/stick to the east coast.
From the beginning, this has all hinged on Nash waiving the no-movement clause in his contract to go to a team of his choosing. The Ottawa Senators reportedly made a huge offer for Nash and he was uninterested in going there. The Detroit Red Wings also reportedly made a big offer, but the Blue Jackets didn't want to keep him in the division. In the end, it's just likely the full market wasn't there and the Blue Jackets took a lesser offer from the Rangers to facilitate the desires of Nash.
At any rate, it's definitely a good thing that the Sharks didn't give up a big amount to get Nash, and it's a huge positive that the team didn't budge on Couture, who figures to be a part of the organization for as long as they can keep him. The good folks at Fear The Fin are even breathing a sigh of relief that San Jose wasn't in on the trade, and that's not a slap in the face to Nash so much it is relief at not crippling the organization for one player.
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