Rick Nash wants Blue Jackets, but do they want him?
Rick Nash would apparently like to return to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but should the team want him back?
Rick Nash is more name than game right now, with three straight seasons posting less than 40 points while missing at least 11 games per season. He did not offer the Boston Bruins much of a boost last season after being acquired at the trade deadline either, with six points in 11 regular season games and five points over 12 postseason contests.
The Columbus Blue Jackets made the playoffs last season, and they went up 2-0 in the first round against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals before losing in six games.
Perhaps with that in mind, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the Blue Jackets are atop Nash’s list of potential free agent destinations.
Nash, who turned 34 last week, is looking for a multi-year deal, and Columbus is at the top of his list. But could easily return to Boston or sign elsewhere if he believes he can win a Stanley Cup.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 25, 2018
Nash was drafted first overall in the 2002 draft by Columbus, and he played there through the 2011-12 season before being traded to the New York Rangers in July 2012. He is the Blue Jackets’ franchise leader in goals (289, assists (258), points (547) and games played (674), and eventually served as the team’s sole captain.
Portzline did mention the Blue Jackets’ casual interest in Nash at the trade deadline last year, while suggesting an increase in interest now.
#CBJ barely kicked tires on Rick Nash at last season’s trade deadline. They’re showing more interest now, with Nash set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 25, 2018
The Blue Jackets could use an offensive boost, as they averaged 2.9 goals per game (17th in the league) and they had the league’s 25th-ranked power play (17.2 percent) last season. In terms of pure number of power play goals, they were 28th in the league with 39.
The previous Blue Jackets’ version of Nash would offer that needed boost, with 30-plus goals seven times in nine seasons and at least nine power play goals in a season five times over that span. But the more recent version has not had more than six power play goals in any of the last eight seasons, with single-digit power play points in five of the last six seasons.
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Nash shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a new team in free agency, and the Blue Jackets don’t have major concerns with the salary cap ($17.184 million in space right now, via Cap Friendly). But they can put those resources to better use to fill their need for scoring punch, without buying into what should be a one-sided bit of nostalgia.