2012 NHL Rumors: Still Nothing On The Rick Nash Front, And That's A Good Thing
Before we begin I just want to extend a huge thank you to Bryan and the rest of the gang. I took a much-needed vacation from Sunday until Thursday and the guys made sure that things ran without any issues. So a big thanks to all of the guys.
Anyway, I had absolutely no contact with the outside world while I was gone, which means I had no idea what was going on with the New York Rangers. After my arrival, I updated my twitter to see what I missed. A few signings, some talk on Shea Weber and nothing else.
And you know what? That's a good thing.
Join me after the jump for my explanation on why the longer the Rick Nash saga drags on the better it is for the Rangers.
As frustrating as it might be for the fans who are begging for a big move, Glen Sather is playing this situation exactly as he should be. Let's face it, the New York Rangers don't have to trade for Rick Nash. The Columbus Blue Jackets do have to trade Rick Nash -- although one would have thought the same thing at the trade deadline.
Here's what we know:
Nash requested a trade privately a couple of weeks before the trade deadline. Scott Howson fielded multiple offers for his star sniper and didn't find any he liked. Sather made an immense attempt at Nash with just minutes left at the deadline. The offer was rumored to be Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon, J.T. Miller, Christian Thomas and a first round pick. Howson turned the deal down, and Nash finished out the year in embarrassing fashion with the Blue Jackets. (Note: Howson made this embarrassing situation even worse when he publicly called Nash out at a press conference after the deadline.)
Which brings us to July, where Howson still hasn't found a deal he likes. Here's why this is a good thing for the Rangers. You would think Howson is going to have to cave on his insane demands at some point. He has already been blasted by the media for demanding the likes of Jeff Skinner in an attempted deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, along with repeated mentions by Larry Brooks about his original demands for Chris Kreider and Ryan McDonagh.
You would have to assume Howson won't let Nash play another game as a Blue Jacket. Again, you would have said the same thing at the deadline, but it seems like things should start to reach a head soon. Nash can't be happy with the way this is playing out and he is probably starting to get a little antsy about how long it's taking Howson to reach a deal. It doesn't make things much better that it doesn't seem like a deal is imminent. And while Nash hasn't done it yet, he can put a serious amount of pressure on Howson by starting to make public comments to the media about the process.
No matter how you slice it, however, Howson isn't close to a deal he wants anywhere. Which means that eventually he's going to realize he needs to settle for the best deal he can get.
So let's give Sather some credit here, he's playing this game the right way. And the longer it takes, the better it is for the Rangers.
