On Thursday, the always solid and now Hall of Fame inductee, Bob McKenzie brought some legitimacy to the rumor mill surrounding the Rangers by letting it be known on TSN’s Insider Trading that they would leave no stone unturned and that the possibility of a Rick Nash trade is on the table.
This isn’t Nash’s first rodeo into the wild world of trade rumors, he found himself in New York after demanding out from Columbus, a move in hindsight the Rangers may not have made. Along with the money and the importance of his role, Nash has seen himself become the villain the past two postseasons for poor performances.
Last postseason was the more amplified of the two as he only produced 10 points in 25 games. Decidedly that postseason was anything but perfect, when reflecting on the nature of his possible poor performances he cannot be to blame. He witnessed the birth of his newborn child, the first born in the Nash household and he also had to deal with the adversity of overcoming a serious concussion. A quiet postseason he did not have.
Oddly, after an overwhelmingly better playoff run this year, the rumors have once again sprung up surrounding Nash who ended his postseason with 14 points in 19 games. This go around may not be centered on Nash’s recent performance but rather the idea of clearing cap space in preparation for impending RFA’s such as Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin. Regardless of Nash’s fate, he can rest easy in knowing that he brought the Ranger’s some good years – they just may not be too appreciative yet.