The former Columbus Blue Jackets star is hoping to land a multi-year deal.
Rick Nash is looking for a new home. Or perhaps a new start in a familiar place. The former Columbus Blue Jackets star will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and is looking for a new, multi-year deal.
And, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, at the top of his wish list is Columbus. In a time when it appears as though one star player may shun Columbus, it’s nice to see another wanting to return.
Nash, who turned 34 last week, is looking for a multi-year deal, and Columbus is at the top of his list. But could easily return to Boston or sign elsewhere if he believes he can win a Stanley Cup.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 25, 2018
But Nash is no longer the Rocket Richard trophy winner like he was in 2004. Father time seems to have caught up with the former scoring dynamo and his performance reflects that. If he were to return to Columbus, fans in Ohio wouldn’t recognize who they were watching.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The scoring totals for Rick Nash in his last four season’s were 36, 38, 34 and 34 points. There is no reason to believe he’ll be able to score any more than that over the next few years. It’s beyond rare for a player of his age to come back and score over 50 points after not eclipsing that mark for so long.
Term Problems
Nash has expressed that he wants a multi-year contract which the Jackets shouldn’t be thinking about. Nash will carry a high price tag with his name and history that he certainly wont be able to live up to.
A multi-year deal would mean a likely Nash contract runs until he is 37-years-old at a hefty price. Nash is likely to get at least $4.5 million a year. That money is much better spent on trying to keep Artemi Panarin, a long term Zach Werenski contract, or going big game hunting on the free agent market.
Of course there is nostalgia involved for Columbus Blue Jackets fans. Nash was great for so many years in Columbus. And for fans it’s nice to feel wanted by Nash in light of the news surrounding Panarin.
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But bringing Nash back will be a multimillion dollar boondoggle just to satisfy fans nostalgia. They Jackets shouldn’t bring Nash back. They need to look towards the future, not the past, if they hope to move this franchise forward.