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Nash stays put as NHL trade fails to sparkle
Source: Agencies |
February 29, 2012, Wednesday
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THE National Hockey League Deadline Day frenzy turned into Dud-line Day as the trade window closed on Monday with only a handful of mostly minor deals. The day began with the spotlight on Columbus where the last place Blue Jackets were eager to consummate a blockbuster deal involving their All-Star forward Rick Nash.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft, Nash, a proven scorer and leader helping Canada to world championship (2007) and Olympic gold (2010) has the type of resume that causes coaches' pulses to quicken.
Several teams reportedly made pitches for the Blue Jackets captain but in the end the asking price was simply too rich, leaving Nash, who requested the trade, in Columbus until at least the offseason.
"We agreed to accommodate his request as long as we could get a deal that would provide us with a cornerstone pieces to help us compete for a Stanley Cup championship in the coming years," said Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson.
"It did not happen by 3 o'clock today. This is too important to our franchise and our fans to do a deal that is not in our best interest."
With all but five of the league's 30 teams within six points of a playoff spot, the compact standings seemed to paralyze the trade market with cautious general managers unwilling to throw in the towel on the 2011-12 season.
Two years ago, Deadline Day featured a record 31 trades but last year the number of deals dropped to a low of 16 while only 15 were completed on Monday, involving 31 players and 11 draft picks. The lack of action left an army of television experts and analysts scrambling to fill airtime.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft, Nash, a proven scorer and leader helping Canada to world championship (2007) and Olympic gold (2010) has the type of resume that causes coaches' pulses to quicken.
Several teams reportedly made pitches for the Blue Jackets captain but in the end the asking price was simply too rich, leaving Nash, who requested the trade, in Columbus until at least the offseason.
"We agreed to accommodate his request as long as we could get a deal that would provide us with a cornerstone pieces to help us compete for a Stanley Cup championship in the coming years," said Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson.
"It did not happen by 3 o'clock today. This is too important to our franchise and our fans to do a deal that is not in our best interest."
With all but five of the league's 30 teams within six points of a playoff spot, the compact standings seemed to paralyze the trade market with cautious general managers unwilling to throw in the towel on the 2011-12 season.
Two years ago, Deadline Day featured a record 31 trades but last year the number of deals dropped to a low of 16 while only 15 were completed on Monday, involving 31 players and 11 draft picks. The lack of action left an army of television experts and analysts scrambling to fill airtime.
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