It should come as no surprise, but Glen Sather fleeced a rival general manager yet again.

After months of speculation and negotiations, Sather’s patience finally paid off this afternoon as the Rangers completed a trade for Rick Nash.  Derek Stepan wasn’t involved in the deal, neither were Michael Del Zotto, Chris Kreider or Ryan McDonagh.

No, in the end, Sather was able to obtain Nash for the pittance of Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick.  The Rangers also received a third-round pick and minor league defenseman Steven Delisle.

Dubinsky, though a fan favorite, was long expected to be part of the deal following an awful season.  Anisimov’s development had stalled in New York and he’d clearly fallen out of favor with the organization.  Erixon is a top prospect, but given the strength and ages of the Rangers’ top-four, he was a logical chip.  The first-round pick should turn out to be in the 20-30 range, reducing its value significantly.

And so the Rangers finally got the stud power forward they’ve coveted for months.  Nash will be expected to carry the scoring load while Marian Gaborik recovers from a torn labrum, but once he returns the Rangers should have a much more powerful offensive attack than they did when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

Here’s an early look at the team’s depth chart (NOT LINE COMBINATIONS):

Rick Nash/Brad Richards/Marian Gaborik

Chris Kreider/Derek Stepan/Ryan Callahan

Carl Hagelin/Brian Boyle/Mike Rupp

Taylor Pyatt/Jeff Halpern/Arron Asham

We’ll have plenty more analysis later, but for now, let us know your thoughts below.

EARLIER

After months of speculation, the Rangers are finally about to acquire Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

We’ll break down all the details of the blockbuster deal as they come in.

2:32 – Dreger reports that Derek Stepan is NOT part of the deal.

2:43 – Dreger reports that Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick are three of the four pieces going back to Columbus.

2:47 – TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that Artem Anisimov is the final piece of the deal.

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