Who Won the Rick Nash Trade?

After spending his entire NHL career (9 seasons) with the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets and only making the playoffs once (2008-2009) captain and former franchise player Rick Nash went to management and told them he would be open to them trading him. Immediately talks started about the Nash sweepstakes and who would be willing to give up what Columbus wanted.

But like most star/franchise players Nash was given a No Trade Clause with his last contract, which prevented the Blue Jackets from trading him without his permission. But after the Blue Jackets started the year off 2-12-1, the worst start of any team in 19 years. Nash decided he would accept a trade out of town. The only catch, it had to be a trade to one of his "approved" teams. There was rumoured to be six teams that Nash would be willing to waive to go to: Boston, Detroit, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, San Jose and Philadelphia. Can you tell he wants to be in the playoffs?

After many months and being accused of wanting too much in return for Nash, GM Scott Howson finally settled for a trade. It was announced Monday afternoon that the Blue Jackets had traded Rich Nash to the New York Rangers in exchange for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first round draft pick in the 2013 Draft. The Blue Jackets also included a 2013 3rd round draft pick and a minor league defenceman.

Who won the trade? The New York Rangers.


After the fantastic Playoff run the Rangers went on last season, many said they were just one "piece" away from being a true Stanley Cup contender. Technically they were just one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals, but acquiring Nash could only help right?
Imagine this:

With Gaborik, Richards, Nash, Stepan, Kreider, Hagelin, Callahan at FW, Rangers can avoid oppositions best D assignments. Maybe Doan too?
— Alex (@aj_ranger) July 23, 2012

The Rangers are stacked on offence right now, not including Henrik Lundqvist. With the acquisition of Nash, the Rangers new top line will likely include Richards at centre with Nash and Gaborik on the wings. The top line will be worth over $21 million. With Nash the Rangers are now considered legitimate cup contenders. (Like they weren't before).

Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets and Howson they got the short end of this deal. Howson said many times he was looking for quite a hefty return in exchange for Nash as a player with Nash's talent does come up often. But apparently other teams didn't have the same feelings, and there wasn't exactly a real bidding war over him. There is talk that Howson could have gotten more in exchange for Nash at the trade-deadline in February. But realistically his hands were tied. Nash controlled his fate with his NTC, other teams knew he wanted out, and Howson could only bargain with half a dozen teams.

By looking at this deal, it doesn't appear that Howson was able to get all he wanted. Although he'd never admit it, he got ripped off in the deal and many people are now saying the Blue Jackets are virtually an AHL team with the loss of Nash.

You know a trade is sad when people are debating who the best player headed to the Blue Jackets even is. Dubinsky has all the skill to be a top line players but tends to disappear during the playoffs and key moments. When Erixon was with the Flames he was considered a top prospect, but now being traded to his third team his value seems to have dropped off. While only time will tell who truly wins the deal as players can over perform and under perform but right now the Rangers got the better part of this deal.

Howson asked for the moon and because of that, anything that wasn't the moon only meant disappointment. It's never easy to replace a five time all star like Nash, but the Blue Jackets will miss his  scoring and leadership. In 9 seasons he scored at least 30 goals 7 times. Due to his lack of success with the Blue Jackets Nash is most remembered for his international play. He won the gold with Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics and was named best forward of the tournament. He has donned the Red and White maple leaf 7 times and has racked up 2 gold medals and 3 silvers. Most recently he captained team Canada at the 2012 IIHF Championship.

It was a trade that left many people speechless and wondering why Howson expected a great return when he got a rather week return. But who do you think won the trade? Also bonus question, who do you think will be the next Blue Jackets captain?

Trading Places

With the draft complete and free agency right around the corner teams are starting to get active on the trading block. 2 major moves have already taken place: Toronto Maple Leafs traded Luke Schenn to the Flyers in exchange for James van Riemsdyk. The Pittsburgh Penguins also made a major splash at the draft when they sent Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin and the 8th overall pick in the draft which was used to select Derrick Pouliot.

Luke Schenn trade:

The Toronto Maple Leafs under the reign of Brian Burke once again failed to make the playoffs last season something GM Burke has said himself is not good enough. Next season could be Burke's last chance to get the Leafs to the postseason, so many were expecting him to make some major trades. He's already made 2 moves and free agency hasn't even begun yet: Trading Luke Schenn to the Flyers and sending the rights to Jonas Gustavsson to the Winnipeg Jets.

After the Leafs drafted Morgan Reilly with their pick in the first round, many speculated the pick made current Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn expendable. There has been speculation since the beginning of last season that Schenn's days in Toronto may have been numbered. He's a solid defenceman but was just unable to flourish with the buds. Burke managed to pull off a trade that will unite the Schenn brothers in Philadelphia and give the Leafs a exciting young player.

Van Riemsdyk brings a big physical aspect to the Leafs who were lacking in toughness in their top 6. At 6"3 203 pounds he will be a force to be reckoned with and isn't afraid to use his size when needs it. He's a big forward who can play centre when needed and most importantly can put the puck in the net, he just wasn't able to flourish with the Flyers. He is a former 2nd overall draft pick (2007) so he has the skill and potential that the Leafs are looking for. The only problem is the baggage he brings: He tends to be injury prone. He missed the majority of last season with a concussion, he suffered a rib cartilage injury, a hip injury and I believe he needs foot surgery to fully repair a broken bone in his foot. But he is big tough forward who isn't afraid to block shots, the exact player Brian Burke is after.

Jordan Staal trade:


The Jordan Staal trade was something that was going to happen sooner or later, the Penguins chose sooner. Less than 24 hours after Staal turned down a 10 year $60 million contract the Pens had worked out a deal that would send Jordan to play alongside his brother Eric in Carolina, something that was important for both brothers. Jordan had come out and said he wanted to play with his brother and he got his wish.

Due to the skill on the Penguins roster (Crosby and Malkin) Staal was doomed to spend his entire career as a 3rd line centre, but he is much better than a 3rd line centre and deserves a chance to be a number one or number 2 centre. He will likely fill the 2nd line centre role in Carolina behind his brother Eric who is the number one centre.

Jordan completed his 6th season in the NHL and with the Penguins and set career highs in assists (25) and points (50) despite only playing in 62 games. He has already won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins and will now have an opportunity to win a Cup alongside his brother.

One other trade:


One of the more interesting trades in regards that it came out of no where was the Dallas Stars trading Mike Ribeiro to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Cody Eakin and a draft pick. A odd trade, Ribeiro has been on the trading block for the last 2 seasons but no one has bitten, while Eakin is thought to be an unproven prospect. Only time will tell who got the better deal.

Sabres Deadline Craze

Trade deadline 2012 has come and gone, and much to the joy of Sabres fans Darcy Regier ACTUALLY made a move. Shocking I know. Despite much talk leading up to the deadline, Roy, Stafford, Miller and Boyes all ended the day with the blue and gold and we weren't able to land Nash, Hemsky or Ryan. So what did Regier manage to do?

I ended up watching the trade deadline coverage from 8 right till 4, and I got a tell you, from 8-2 it was extremely boring, it was like watching a race between paint drying and grass growing! But at 2 stuff started getting interesting, twitter started blowing up as people wanted to catch the last hour of the deadline and with Darcy Regier having not done anything to that point, Sabres fans were panicking. The clock was ticking and it looked like no major trades would happen in Buffalo, and as the analysts pointed out, Regier's asking prices were way to high. We all Knew that no one liked Darcy's players as much as Darcy. Sabres fans were getting ready to burn down First Niagra Centre as nothing had been done, and as the 3 o'clock deadline hit there were still no definitive Sabres moves to report. But due to the crazyness of deadline day, things get backed up at the NHL offices so there was still hope that something (anything) had been done. Then TSN analyst Bob MaCkenzie tweeted saying that no deal had been made for Derek Roy before the deadline, which sent the fans into a further frenzy of anger towards Darcy. Six minutes after the deadline news broke that Paul Gaustad had been traded to Nashville, this deal although not shocking, brought some grief for fans as Gaustad was a huge crowd favorite Buffalo. What was shocking was that Darcy actually got a first round pick in this years draft for the big winger. Although the Sabres attached a forth rounder it was still  steal for the Sabres. I was okay with the Gaustad trade but I was hoping for something bigger, a blockbuster deal of sorts for the Sabres. I waited another half hour and was seconds from turning off the TV, when news broke that Zack Kassian had been traded to Vancouver. My heart skipped a beat as this deal really came out of no where. No one knew Kassian was on the market (truth be told he probably wasn't). But the best part of the Kassian deal, was TSN took forever to tell us who was coming back from Vancouver. They reported that Cody Hodgson had been traded, but everyone believed it was a separate deal. Then finally they put 2 and 2 together and announced that Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani were traded for Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer in two separate deals. Now this was the type of trade I was hoping would be made, as little or insignificant this deal seems it's actually a small blockbuster deal for the Sabres. It was also the biggest trade of the day.

What we got:
The Sabres got a 6-foot forward who was a first round draft pick (2008), and is tied for second in rookie scoring and 5th for rookie points. This fellow Sabres fans would be Cody Hodgson. A kid I am extremely excited to welcome to Buffalo. I have been following Hodgson since before he was drafted (I even played some shinny hockey and practiced with him). As soon as I heard how amazing he was I started following him, wanting to see where he would land. Hodgson is a natural talent, starting back from his days in minor AAA hockey were he racked up 99 points in just 59 games, he knows how to put the puck in the net and is a hard working kid. He played on both the World Junior and under 18 Canadian teams winning gold with both.  You may have heard of a couple of his teammates from those days, Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis. A couple more feathers in his cap so to speak; CHL player of the year and OHL's most outstanding player. Hodgson is having a great first NHL season  in which he already has 33 points (16 goals and 17 assists) and was named rookie of the month in January. This acquisition was amazing and Regier deserves a pat on the back for this one. Hodgson will likely be the number one center of the future that we can build a team around, he has so much upside and potential it's crazy. Imagine if the at the end of the season the Sabres were to have the Calder winner on our team, that would be awesome! Without even playing a game for the blue and gold Hodgson is already 4th in team scoring! This isn't Brad Boyes or even Daniel Briere, this is a legitimate talent whose best days are in front of him.

Sulzer appears to be a big defenceman that can help our blueline. I see this move more as Regier not needing a player but more a complimentary deal in that Gragnani has much more upside than Sulzer. Since the Sabres were able to steal the Canucks prized Hodgson away, I think Regier evened it out with Sulzer. He was drafted back in 2003 in the third round by the Nashville Predators, he's played 74 games with 3 NHL teams (Predators, Panthers and Canucks). As much as I hate bagging on a player, there is really nothing about this guy that says anything more than career call-up, maybe change in scenery will give him a spark but there's no guarantee the Sabres will keep him in the bigs. An interesting note is that the Sabres now have easily the most German nationals in their organization.

In another amazing deal pulled off by Regier he managed to get a first round draft pick for Paul Gaustad!
We now have their first round pick in the upcoming 2012 draft, I'm not a huge fan of draft picks as they don't always work out, but a first-rounder for Gaustad I'll take it! This gives us 4 of the first 44 picks in the 2012 draft. Not too bad, not too bad at all.

What we lost:

Fan favorite Paul Gaustad. I never personally understood all the hype around Gaustad. When he first came up he was a tough gritty player but he has turned into a face off and penalty kill specialist that doesn't really contribute much on the scoreboard. In 7 seasons in Buffalo he's failed to score more than 12 goals or move up from the 3rd line. I'm okay seeing him go and was absolutely shocked we managed a first round pick for him.

Zach Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani, this deal hurts me a bit more as I really liked Kassian and I thought he would have a bright future in Buffalo. But he's an UNPROVEN winger where as Hodgson has been able to prove himself in the NHL. We may have lost grit with Kassian but frankly since his first couple of games he's really looked a bit lost on the ice. We also got smaller but more talented. However, with players like Luke Adam, Marcus Foligno and Brayden McNabb very close to being ready for the show, losing Kassian is worth the gamble. One thing that concerns me is this mostly proves that we're leaning toward a rebuild as we've almost eliminated ourselves from the playoffs this season.
I'm also ok with that because the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, not make the playoffs and as I've said before the current roster did not have what it takes to win it all.

What these trades mean:
These trades mean we're looking ahead to the future, let's face it although it's possible the chances of squeaking into the postseason are slim at best, which is why I believe they traded Gaustad. He would have been a great asset in the post season with his face-off skills and toughness. Right now this team is healthy (or healthier), Miller is playing like Miller again, lines are starting to gel (hands off Ruff!) and this team is playing the kind of hockey everyone expected them to play 62 games ago. We're 5-3-2 in our last 10 games and are battling hard each game, giving themselves a chance to skate away with the two points. I see the moves made at the deadline as a minor rebuild, getting rid of an unproven prospect and a gritty veteran in return for picks and a gem from Vancouver. With the addition of Cody Hodgson and a healthy team next season we are going to be better, and be right back in the playoff hunt and be closer to the cup. Not to overlook the fact we now have 2 first round picks and 2 second round picks for the 2012 draft, these picks can be used to draft prospects OR bundled to bring bigger fish to the Sabres. Imagine sending a couple of picks and a player to Anaheim for Bobby Ryan or Los Angeles for Dustin Brown! This summer could be another active one for Mr. Pegulia's wallet, hopefully Darcy will keep the contracts within reason. We have now filled the void at center and it's now looking like a pretty fantastic center lineup (Roy, Ennis, Hodgson). Darcy Regier pulled a rabbit out of somewhere on Monday with these deals, and likely saved his job until next season. We are building toward a cup, and to be honest I could see us winning one in the next few seasons!

NHL TradeDeadline 2012

Today was the NHL Trade deadline, a day hockey fans have been awaiting and anticipating for months. Finally all the rumors will have answers, some will stay just rumors while others will actually become real NHL deals. But at noon, I for one was hoping you guys did not take the day off work or school to sit in front of your TV's and watch TSN's trade deadline, it was extremely boring. Only 1 trade was made before 12: The Montreal Canadians traded Andrei Kostitsyn to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a couple of draft picks. But by 2:30 the trades really started to pick up and the 2012 trade deadline ended with 15 trades, that included 31 players and 11 draft picks.

So before I dive in and look at the trades made today and some of the trades made in the last week, let's just take a moment to think about a couple things. First of all these GM's are some of the smartest people both in and out of the hockey world, most of them know what they need to improve their team. Sure some are a little stubborn to pull the trigger on the deal, but they know what their doing. They don't need us jumping up and down and going crazy, telling them who to acquire and calling them dumb or stupid because they're not making a deal that appeases us. Like I said in previous blog, until you become a GM of an NHL hockey team or one of those dumb TSN analysts don't critize what you don't know! Second of all yes it's awesome seeing your team's GM making a big splash by trading players, but sometimes what we overlook is the fact that the players are people too. I understand hockey is a business, but the trade deadline is extremely difficult for the players. Having their names being thrown in rumors, knowing your "boss" is shopping you around, the possibility of being traded and leaving your wife and kids behind, you gotta admit that's rough. While it's cool to want players moved and want GM's to make moves, we have to take in to account that the GM's are playing with the lives of their players. They can't in all fairness to the players, just yank and turn your players lives upside down because the wind changed direction. I know this my all seem like nonsense to some of you, but it's something I truly believe the GM's take into account. A player isn't going to want to go play for a GM who doesn't care about their players.

Deals from the deadline;
Montreal Canadians trade Andrei Kostitsyn to the Nashville Predator in exchange for a 2nd and 5th round pick in 2013.
This was the very first trade that broke on the "official" deadline day. This deal reunites Andrei with younger brother Sergi and gives him a fresh start/a chance to battle for a playoff start. Kostitsyn had just 12 goals and 24 assists this season. I'd say the Predators won the trade.

Detroit Red Wings trade Mike Commodore to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 7th round pick in 2013.
This trade surprised a lot of people and it seemed like Detroit was trying to clear cap space to acquire Paul Gaustad, but this proved to be the only deal the Red Wings made the entire day. To be honest I didn't even know Mike Commodore was still in the NHL, so this came out of left field for me. Commodore has only played 17 games this season. I don't really understand this deal, but I suppose if there is a winner here, the Lightning won this deal.

Edmonton Oilers trade Tom Gilbert to the Minossota Wild in exchange for Nick Schultz.
I don't follow the Western Conference that much so I'm not really aware of these players. From what the analysts say this was a wash, an offensive D-man for a defensive one. But I believe the Edmonton Oilers won the trade, as they added some stability to their team.

Toronto Maple Leafs trade Keith Aulie to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Carter Ashton.

This was a fantastic move by Brian Burke. There was no room on the Leafs blue line for Keith Aulie, so they had to get rid of a defenseman somewhere along the line. I really like this deal as this Carter kid looks like he could be a fantastic player (although I didn't know who he was). Right now the Lightning have won the deal, as Ashton will be in the Marlies until next season while Aulie will get more ice time up in the NHL.

The first multiplayer deal of the day; Colorado Avalanche trade Daniel Winnik, T.J Galiardi and 7th round pick in 2013 to the San Jose sharks in exchange for Jamie McGinn, Michael Sgarbossa and Mike Connolly.

San Jose won this deal in my mind, anytime you can get T.J Galiardi and Daniel Winnik and not give up a whole lot it's got to benefit your team. This was the first major deal, where things on the TSN set started to go crazy. This trade will help improve the Sharks penalty killing

Vancouver Canucks trade two 4th round draft picks in 2012 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Samuel Pahlsson.
This trade is all about the Columbus Blue Jackets rebuild by gaining picks for the future. Pahlsson has 2 goals and 9 assists in 61 games. Vancouver definitely won this trade.

Ottawa Senators trade Brian Lee to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Matt Gilroy
The Senators have pretty much given up on Lee. He was drafted 9th overall in the 2005 NHL draft and has just 1 goal and 7 assists in 35 games this season. Lee wasn't able to live up to his draft hype and should benefit from a change in scenery. Gilroy played 53 games and has 2 goals and 15 assists. Nothing major here, just some 3rd or 4th liners changing places.

Winnipeg Jets trade Johnny Oduya to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2nd and 3rd round pick in 2013.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Blackhawks won this deal hands down. The 30 year old Oduya is a veteran defenceman who is a solid addition to the Blackhawks struggling back end.

Boston Bruins trade Marc Cantin and Yannick Riendeau to the New York Islanders in exchange for Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau.
The Bruins won this trade as they added lots of depth and will hope push them back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Getting Brian Rolston back on the Bruins is really a hit and miss, he could regain his form playing with some exceptional players, but he could also totally flop.

Buffalo Sabres trade Paul Gaustad and a 4th round pick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a first round draft pick.
I absolutely loved this move!!! Some how, Sabres GM Darcy Regier managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat to get a first round pick for Paul Gaustad! Everyone said the asking price was way too high for Gaustad (which it was), but somehow Regier got it done! Absolutely fantastic deal that the Sabres obviously won. Although all the fans are sad to see Gaustad go, this will help the Sabres in the future, especially with the deal that they made a few minutes later.

Boston Bruins trade Steve Kampfer to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Greg Zanon.
This was another minor deal nothing to major, Zanon will add some more grit to the Bruins (Like they need it!).
The Bruins seem to have the slight edge in this deal.

Chicago Blackhawks trade John Scott to the New York Rangers in exchange for a 5th round pick in 2012.
Although this seems like a minor minimal deal as Scott doesn't score a lot, but he is 6 foot 7, 270 pounds, he will help in the playoffs by forcing players away from his goaltender. All he has to do is lean on a player and that player won't be going anywhere. Great addition to the Rangers, who won this deal.

Buffalo Sabres trade Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Cody Hodgson and Alexandra Sulzer.
This was quite possibly the biggest trade of the day and by far the best (sorry I'm biased). This deal works perfectly for the Sabres, we got our future number 1 centre to build the team around. Although it comes at the expense of losing Kassian, this deal will help the Sabres in the future. A position of weakness now a positions of strength? Hodgson, Roy and Ennis are now the top 3 centers, add Adam and the future is suddenly different to the Blue and Gold up the middle. For those lamenting losing Kassian't toughness, remember Marcus Foligno and Brayden McNbb are more than capable of matching up with anyone. Unfortunately what this means for Sabres fans, is the Sabres aren't necessarily trying to make that push to the playoffs but rather building for a couple of years in the future. That's also known as trying to win the Stanley Cup, not just get a couple of more house receipts during the playoffs. I personally believe the Sabres have won this deal and have ultimately won the Trade deadline and Darcy Regier is the Trade deadline winning GM!

Toronto Maple Leafs trade Dale Mitchell to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Mark Frasier.
This was just a minor league deal and has no real implications to the major league teams at this moment.
Just moving depth in the minors.

The final deal was between the Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks. Who exchanged two minor players. The Canucks got Andrew Gordon while the Ducks acquired Sebastian Erixon.


The trade deadline started off really slowely as deals didn't start rolling till around 2pm. Most of the big names did not get moved; Rick Nash, Luke Schenn, and Derek Roy all ended up staying put. The Big trade of the day, was between the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks. Ultimately I think the Sabres won the trade deadline, as they got a first round pick for Gaustad and managed to snatch Cody Hodgson out of Vancouver. All in all a fairly decent trade deadline, especially if you're a Sabres, Canucks or Predators fan. Brian Burke surprised and angered Leaf fans by not making more moves and "sticking to the Blueprint" of his current team.
We'll have to wait a while longer to see how the deals that were made today turn out!