Columbus Blue Jackets superstar Rick Nash is unquestionably the top candidate in NHL trade deadline rumors market right now, with all sorts of teams said to be in contention for him. The Kings and Rangers appeared to be the top candidates, though recent rumors have also had the Flyers in the mix for him.
The star winger might not be leaving at all though, simply because dishing out the only real superstar that Columbus has ever known would be such a monumentally large move. If he does leave, it looks like Columbus is asking for a heck of a lot of players and draft picks for the star. Darren Dreger says as much in his Friday mailbag, talking about how confusingly complex the Nash trade talks are currently getting after a question about Columbus requiring a star goalkeeper to be involved with any trade that the Jackets make:
For those who feel that way, perhaps they're not as close to being in contention for Nash as they might wish. This is such a mammoth trade - in terms of impact on the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus - and the complexity of establishing Nash's trade value even to the fortunate few believed to be involved, that time is a huge issue. Ten days may not be enough to swing a deal that will impact this team for years to come.
Four pieces for Nash might seem like a pretty big amount, but Nash is an absolutely proven talent even in year after year of less than good situations, and that's something you don't find much in the NHL. If there's talk of a star goalie being brought in though, perhaps the Buffalo Sabres and Ryan Miller will be the next team getting talked about as a trade partner with the Jackets. Certainly an interesting thought, even if the Sabres might not have three other pieces that they could send out with Miller.
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