Bruins acquire Rick Nash from Rangers for multiple pieces
The Boston Bruins have acquired Rick Nash from the New York Rangers for picks, prospects and two roster players.
Once New York Rangers General Manager Jim Gorton and President Glenn Sather released a letter stating the team would be rebuilding and trading key players, it was clear Rick Nash would be moved.
As soon as Nash was available, he became the most sought-after forward at the deadline. There were rumors connecting Nash to teams across the league but in the end, the Rangers completed a deal with Boston.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, defenseman Ryan Lindgren, forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, and a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft from the Bruins in exchange for Rick Nash.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 25, 2018
Boston Bruins
The Bruins will be receiving a boost to their offense when Nash joins the lineup. Nash has collected 18 goals for a total of 28 points this season with the Rangers. The Bruins top line of Marchand, Bergeron, and Pastrnak is locked in and will not change. Outside of that line, there is no proven consistent goal scorer. Rick Nash will slide into the Bruins second line with Jake Debrusk and David Krejci to give the Bruins two lines of strong offense. Nash will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and the Bruins likely will not have the cap space to re-sign him.
New York Rangers
The Rangers will be retaining 50% of Rick Nash’s salary for the rest of the season. This trade has set the market for rental wingers. It is likely the Buffalo Sabres will see a similar return for Evander Kane. The Rangers received a lot for Rick Nash. The deal includes Matt Beleskey, Ryan Spooner, prospect Ryan Lindgren, a first-round draft pick and a seventh-round draft pick. The Bruins did well to get out of Beleskey’s contract. Beleskey will earn $3.8 million dollars for the next two seasons. Spooner will be a restricted free agent at the end of next season and may not fit with the Bruins long-term. As the Rangers begin their rebuild the first round pick and prospect Ryan Lindgren will be valuable.
Next: Five deals the Rangers should make
The Bruins are chasing the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first spot in the Eastern Conference. Approaching the deadline, the Bruins had two major needs: adding scoring options and depth on defense.
Boston was able to carry out both before Monday. Earlier in the week, the Bruins traded with the Rangers to acquire defenseman Nick Holden, and now they have added Nash.