The last month has posed the question of if the New York Rangers will be sellers at the NHL’s trade deadline coming up on Feb. 26.
While there have been rumors that the team will sell, it looks as though the first domino could fall soon.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on Monday that the Rangers have requested Nash’s no-trade clause list, which was already given to them and contains 18 teams. That means Nash could be traded to 12 teams before the deadline.
The 33-year-old left winger is in the final year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. With a $7.8 million cap hit, the Rangers would likely take on some of that money to make Nash more appealing on the trade market while ensuring they get something in return for him.
While his better days are behind him, Nash still could provide production to a second or third line. In 52 games on a struggling Rangers team that has lost five of its last six games, he has 15 goals with 10 assists which is a far cry from the 42-goal season he had just three years ago.
Nash’s contract situation has been a hotly-contested topic dating back to the beginning of the season. Though it quickly became evident that the Rangers were going to move on from him given the silence on the negotiation front.
There should be a healthy market for him considering there will be teams on the verge of contention that are looking for an added scoring depth to help put them over the top.
Teams like the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues are contenders in need of a boost that could be featured on Nash’s accepted teams list if he’s looking for a run at a Stanley Cup.
