NHL Trade Rumors: 5 teams that should trade for Rick Nash

1. St. Louis Blues

Most likely, the Rangers are not prepared to give up on their Stanley Cup pursuit yet. They’ll want a great defenseman in return for Rick Nash. The St. Louis Blues are a team that could offer them precisely what they want in Kevin Shattenkirk. A Shattenkirk for Rick Nash trade makes so much sense for both teams.

The Blues would get an excellent talent for a player who they might not be able to afford to keep long-term. Since the Blues have already committed a ton of money to fellow defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo, they likely don’t want to commit another huge contract to Shattenkirk. The emergence of Colton Parayko has all but rendered Shattenkirk as the team’s number four defenseman in 2016-17. Might as well get something for Shattenkirk rather than lose him for nothing. Rick Nash is a very acceptable return for Shattenkirk.

New York would be adding to their blue line by trading Rick Nash to the Blues. Of course, they’d likely have to move on from him after the 2016-17 season. However, if the Rangers can find a way to get the Girardi and/or Staal contract(s) off the book, Shattenkirk is an excellent long-term fit for the Rangers. He’s one of the best power play quarterbacks in the NHL and is an elite puck mover. Ryan McDonagh is the only other Rangers defenseman who is even above average as a puck mover. Young stud Brady Skjei could be an above average one, but he’ll never be anything close to Shattenkirk.

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