rick nash

I love the offseason. It’s a chance to go through available players and play armchair-GM to make your favorite team a Cup contender next season. But with the offseason comes a season of lunacy. People thinking Tanner Glass will fetch this team a 3rd round pick. Or that Cam Talbot will fetch the #1 overall pick.

Sigh.

In the salary cap era, not many teams are able to throw big money at free agents at will. But yet, that doesn’t stop the media from throwing the Rangers out there as a possible destination for every single free agent. This usually starts with one member of the media speculating, with absolutely no basis, and then every other outlet picking it up.

This year, it appears that Rick Nash is the target of the trade rumors. It all started with Larry Brooks’ column five days ago, a seemingly innocuous post about how the Rangers will look to trade Nash to free up cap space. He even has a possible trade scenario: Nash to St. Louis for T.J. Oshie, Alex Steen, and Jaden Schwartz.

Oh Brooksie.

First things first: Steen has a $5.8 million cap hit, Oshie a $4.175 million cap hit, and Schwartz a $2.35 million cap hit. That’s $12.325 million in cap space, to Nash’s $7.8 million. With Derek Stepan needing a new contract, this isn’t happening. Sorry Brooksie, but your speculation is baseless and doesn’t even work in a cap world.

But the problem isn’t with the trade scenario, most fans have come to ignore Brooks when it comes to this stuff. The problem is that multiple people have picked up on this and think the Rangers are going to explore trading Rick Nash. Bob McKenzie stirred the pot, stating the following:

“Mum is the word from the New York Rangers. They’re not talking about specifics, but I have to believe one thing that will at least be considered is the possibility of considering trading Rick Nash,”

I’m not one to question McKenzie. He’s the best in the business, and what he says, goes. However, I am one to question the words he used. “I have to believe” and “at least be considered” are the phrases to which I’m honing. He’s speculating as well.

It isn’t a secret that the Rangers have a cap issue. Trading Nash to free up the $7.8 million is the easiest way to clear space from an outside perspective. But the Rangers would be eliminating a top line player and one of their top scorers. They don’t have many bodies, if any, that can fill that role.

What the Rangers do have is an expensive backup goalie in Cam Talbot ($1.45 million), one that is all but certain to be traded at the draft. They have a logjam on defense, with a prized prospect in Brady Skjei on his way to the bigs. They have a very tradeable asset on the blue line in Kevin Klein, who is viewed as a rugged defenseman on a good contract ($2.9 million), but is playing third pairing minutes.

Trading Klein and Talbot for futures frees up $4.35 million in cap space. Skjei slides in for Klein, the Rangers sign a backup goalie at around $1.2 million, and the Rangers have saved $2.2 million. That’s enough to get their RFAs under contract and replace Martin St. Louis.

The Rangers aren’t trading Rick Nash*. It’s just not happening. The Rangers don’t need an overhaul, they need small moves and some roster tinkering. Trading Nash signals a rebuild/refresh. And again, that’s just not happening.

*Disclaimer: If the Rangers get bowled over for Nash, they will deal him. But unless Edmonton calls dangling McJesus for Nash and Girardi, it’s not happening.

 

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