Chris CrockettThe Great Nash Debate
February 20th 2012 22:37
What's that old saying? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I'm talking to you, Glen Sather.
Rick Nash, the winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets is the big fish to catch on the trade market this year. There always seems to be that one big name that gets moved to a contender before the trade deadline passes, and how often does that translate into a Stanley Cup victory? Almost never.
Last year, one of the biggest names traded was Kris Versteeg moving from the Maple Leafs to the Flyers. The Flyers took a second round exit at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Boston Bruins. I would say the Leafs were happy with their 1st and 3rd round picks they acquired for a player who was essentially a rental, as Versteeg was traded to the Panthers for a 2nd and 3rd rounder.
2010, similar situation. Ilya Kovalchuk's name had been on the trade block for some time before the deal to the Devils finally got done. The Thrashers made an attempt to keep him, but Kovalchuk turned down both offers that were proposed to him. The Devils went into the 2010 playoffs riding high, finishing second in the Eastern conference only to lose to the Flyers four games to one in the first round. Unlike the Versteeg situation, Kovalchuk signed a 15 year deal and will be a Devil until he is fourty-something, barring any trade that may happen down the road. Kovalchuk has yet to return to the 50 goal scorer he was in Atlanta, and probably will never regain that form due to the style of hockey the Devils play.
This brings me to the main point of this entry, should Glen Sather trade away Brandon Dubinsky, Chris Kreider, a first round pick, and possibly more to acquire Rick Nash from Columbus?
The answer is no.
Nash was the first overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, chosen by Columbus. He is only 27 years old, and has had an excellent career thus far. He's netted 40 goals in a season twice, but has only been to the playoffs one time with the Blue Jackets. Will having to face Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash strike fear into opposing goaltenders? Absolutely, but this rationale that I will be using goes beyond the ice, and into the locker room.
The New York Rangers are in first place in the East, and 3 points back of Detroit with 3 games in hand for the best record in the entire NHL. The next closest teams in the East are Boston and New Jersey, both with 72 points, trailing the Rangers' 81 points by a substantial 9 point margin. Let's go back to that saying, "If it ain't broke don't fix it". How can you possibly break up this chemistry that the Rangers have in their locker room? You can make the argument that Nash is an immediate upgrade over Dubinsky in the skill department, that I cannot argue. What I can argue is the intangibles that Dubinsky brings to the table. He fits Tortorella's system perfectly, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty if he needs to, and does an excellent on the forecheck and specifically on the boards.
For you stat geeks, let's see how their numbers stack up:
Brandon Dubinsky: 54 Games, 6 Goals, 19 Assists for a total of 25 points. /- is a 12.
Rick Nash: 59 Games, 19 Goals, 21 Assists for a total of 40 points. Here's the surprising statistic; /- of -23. That's 850th in the league if you were wondering.
The /- stat of Nash is an illusion, as he plays on one of the worst teams in the NHL. Hockey is not a sport that somebody can simply take over, it takes a full 5 man effort to put the puck in the net, and a 6 man effort to stop the puck from going in yours. So what do these stats mean?
Nothing.
Stick with what got you to this point, Mr. Sather. Chris Kreider will one day be an important piece to this organization, Brandon Dubinsky already is an important piece to the current team, and although it may seem enticing to go for broke now, this team can win multiple cups throughout the next ten years if the cards are played correctly. The team that is put on the ice every night for the Rangers is plenty good enough to make a run for the cup.
Rick Nash, the winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets is the big fish to catch on the trade market this year. There always seems to be that one big name that gets moved to a contender before the trade deadline passes, and how often does that translate into a Stanley Cup victory? Almost never.
Last year, one of the biggest names traded was Kris Versteeg moving from the Maple Leafs to the Flyers. The Flyers took a second round exit at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Boston Bruins. I would say the Leafs were happy with their 1st and 3rd round picks they acquired for a player who was essentially a rental, as Versteeg was traded to the Panthers for a 2nd and 3rd rounder.
2010, similar situation. Ilya Kovalchuk's name had been on the trade block for some time before the deal to the Devils finally got done. The Thrashers made an attempt to keep him, but Kovalchuk turned down both offers that were proposed to him. The Devils went into the 2010 playoffs riding high, finishing second in the Eastern conference only to lose to the Flyers four games to one in the first round. Unlike the Versteeg situation, Kovalchuk signed a 15 year deal and will be a Devil until he is fourty-something, barring any trade that may happen down the road. Kovalchuk has yet to return to the 50 goal scorer he was in Atlanta, and probably will never regain that form due to the style of hockey the Devils play.
This brings me to the main point of this entry, should Glen Sather trade away Brandon Dubinsky, Chris Kreider, a first round pick, and possibly more to acquire Rick Nash from Columbus?
The answer is no.
Nash was the first overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, chosen by Columbus. He is only 27 years old, and has had an excellent career thus far. He's netted 40 goals in a season twice, but has only been to the playoffs one time with the Blue Jackets. Will having to face Marian Gaborik and Rick Nash strike fear into opposing goaltenders? Absolutely, but this rationale that I will be using goes beyond the ice, and into the locker room.
The New York Rangers are in first place in the East, and 3 points back of Detroit with 3 games in hand for the best record in the entire NHL. The next closest teams in the East are Boston and New Jersey, both with 72 points, trailing the Rangers' 81 points by a substantial 9 point margin. Let's go back to that saying, "If it ain't broke don't fix it". How can you possibly break up this chemistry that the Rangers have in their locker room? You can make the argument that Nash is an immediate upgrade over Dubinsky in the skill department, that I cannot argue. What I can argue is the intangibles that Dubinsky brings to the table. He fits Tortorella's system perfectly, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty if he needs to, and does an excellent on the forecheck and specifically on the boards.
For you stat geeks, let's see how their numbers stack up:
Brandon Dubinsky: 54 Games, 6 Goals, 19 Assists for a total of 25 points. /- is a 12.
Rick Nash: 59 Games, 19 Goals, 21 Assists for a total of 40 points. Here's the surprising statistic; /- of -23. That's 850th in the league if you were wondering.
The /- stat of Nash is an illusion, as he plays on one of the worst teams in the NHL. Hockey is not a sport that somebody can simply take over, it takes a full 5 man effort to put the puck in the net, and a 6 man effort to stop the puck from going in yours. So what do these stats mean?
Nothing.
Stick with what got you to this point, Mr. Sather. Chris Kreider will one day be an important piece to this organization, Brandon Dubinsky already is an important piece to the current team, and although it may seem enticing to go for broke now, this team can win multiple cups throughout the next ten years if the cards are played correctly. The team that is put on the ice every night for the Rangers is plenty good enough to make a run for the cup.
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Comment by HockeyBattle
Hockey Battle
Bernier
Johnson
1st Round Pick
for
Nash
Mason
Reason he won't end up in NYR is because the Jackets want a Goalie in return, the Steve Mason project is over, after having an unbelievable rookie season he hasn't even been close to what he needs to be and he has arguably lost the starting position in Columbus.
Expect Mason to be traded with Nash, however expect the team that gets Mason in the deal to bury him in the minors with a contract buy out.
Comment by HockeyBattle
Hockey Battle
Bernier
Johnson
1st Round Pick
for
Nash
Mason
Reason he won't end up in NYR is because the Jackets want a Goalie in return, the Steve Mason project is over, after having an unbelievable rookie season he hasn't even been close to what he needs to be and he has arguably lost the starting position in Columbus.
Expect Mason to be traded with Nash, however expect the team that gets Mason in the deal to bury him in the minors with a contract buy out.