The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, and the big bit of news still pertains to Rick Nash. He's the big acquisition that teams are going after, and among the most interested teams are the San Jose Sharks and the New York Rangers. The latter team has been involved since the beginning of this saga, while the Sharks have only recently been linked.
More than being linked, the Sharks are considered to be in heaviest pursuit of Nash. There's talks of potential players involved, with Logan Couture being the only player truly taken off the table. The Sharks declined that Couture be used as any kind of starting point, and it makes sense given that he's not just an up-and-comer, but already developing into somewhat of a superstar on his own.
That being said, this thing could come down to the wire. If Nash is moved, Blue Jackets fans should probably expect it to go right up to the deadline, especially if the Sharks remain the major player for Nash. As noted on SB Nation Bay Area, San Jose's general manager, Doug Wilson, isn't going to be pressured into making a move based on two or three games.
Columbus may have thought they'd be helping themselves into getting the Sharks to think they need to make a move by embarrassing them in their last outing, but that's probably not the case. The Sharks aren't a team known for making big moves during the season, but they did make some pretty big moves this past offseason with the acquisition of Brent Burns and Martin Havlat. Either way, the decision won't come down to the recent string of losses by San Jose, that's for sure.
For more on the Columbus Blue Jackets, go to The Cannon. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NHL hub at SBNation.com/NHL.