Columbus Blue Jackets Don’t Need Rick Nash

The last thing this Columbus Blue Jackets team needs is to trade for Rick Nash.

People like what they are comfortable with. They take the same route home from work. They eat the same food regularly. They like the comfort and consistency of the “same thing”. Columbus Blue Jackets fans are no different.

So I understand the initial attraction to getting a known commodity back on the team like Rick Nash. He is the best player to ever wear union blue, he dominated the league and was the only bright spot for a terrible franchise for years.

But after the initial attraction some logic should kick in and tell you how ill-advised your first thoughts were. Bringing Rick Nash back, as Chris Johnson of Sportsnet reported on NHL Network, would be a terrible move.

First off the guy is not the Rick Nash of the 2000’s. He is 33-years-old and it is staring to show. He only has one season in the last five where he broke 40 points. Last season he only had 38 points. This year he is on pace again to score in the high 30’s. That’s far from the production you want out of a player who is making $7.8 million a season. 

He is slower and slower every season in a league that demands speed. He is a winger and the Jackets need a center. Did we mention he is expensive? $7.8 million cap hit.

Nash Asking Price

We haven’t even factored in what we would have to give up in this terrible scenario either. Nash won’t come cheap due to the market this season. There are going to be a ton of teams looking to make moves at the deadline and that will drive up the price for a player that isn’t a good fit to begin with.

So what are we looking at? Giving up a first rounder and a prospect for a player that has a ceiling of 40 points? And thats if we are lucky. Plus we would have to give up all this for one guaranteed season of Nash. His contract is up at the end of the year. And although he won’t be getting a $7.8 million contract, he will be paid around $4-5 million. Money that surely can be better spent on Zach Werenski, Artemi Panarin or Sergei Bobrovsky.

Next: Anemic Offense Dooms CBJ

The notion of bringing back Nash is nice but logic and common sense need to kick in after the short trip down memory lane. There isn’t a place for Nash in this organization.