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Rick Nash

New York Rangers Recall Ryan Lindgren

January 14, 2019 at 5:49 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

The New York Rangers may have made a trade earlier today, swapping Cole Schneider for Connor Brickley with the Nashville Predators, but their latest move – a simple call-up – will likely have far more impact on the team. The Rangers have announced that they have recalled defenseman Ryan Lindgren from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. It is the first recall for Lindgren, who is considered New York’s most pro-ready defensive prospect and should yield immediate returns on the blue line.

Lindgren, 20, is in his first season with the Rangers organization after being acquired late last season from the Boston Bruins. Lindgren was the centerpiece of the package offered by the Bruins in exchange for Rick Nash, which also included Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, and a 2018 first-round pick. Even after using the Bruins pick in a trade to move up and draft defenseman K’Andre Miller and then using another first-rounder on defenseman Nils Lundkvist, Lindgren has still remained the rearguard prospect with the most hype for the Rangers given his mature, well-rounded game and potential impact in the short term.

Originally a second-round pick by Boston in 2016, Lindgren was a standout in the U.S. National Development program before moving on to join his hometown University of Minnesota for the past two years. During that time, Lindgren also starred on two different United States entries at the World Junior Championship. This season, Lindgren has already earned a top-four role with the Wolf Pack and is one of the top AHL rookie defenseman in many defensive categories. While Lindgren’s offensive contributions have been pedestrian at every level, the true hallmarks of his game are his physicality and defensive ability. It would be a mistake to look at the low point totals and see Lindgren as only a stay-at-home defenseman, as the first year pro sees the ice well and is a strong skater who is more than capable of moving the puck. However, where he is destined to excel as an NHLer is with his checking game, his work on the penalty kill, his ability to win battles and shut down the opposition, and the hockey IQ needed to make smart zone exit plays. The Rangers, who hold the fifth-worst goals against per game in the NHL this season, need a long-term solution on the blue line for their oft-sloppy play and a sound defender like Lindgren will be given every chance to be that guy, down the stretch this season and moving forward.

AHL| Boston Bruins| Jeff Gorton| New York Rangers Matt Beleskey| Rick Nash| Ryan Spooner

3 comments

Rick Nash Forced To Retire Because Of Concussion Symptoms

January 11, 2019 at 8:58 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Whatever hope that was left for Rick Nash to continue his playing career with a late-season contract can be extinguished, as Darren Dreger of TSN relays a message from agent Joe Resnick:

Due to unresolved issues/symptoms from the concussion sustained last March, Rick Nash will be forced to retire from the game of hockey. Under the advice of his medical team, the risk of further brain injury is far too great if Rick returns to play. Rick would like to thank everyone who has supported him during this difficult time period.

Dreger adds that Toronto, San Jose, Columbus, Boston and Pittsburgh had all checked in on Nash as a potential addition, though they can obviously all now cross him off any list. The 34-year old forward will finish his career with 437 goals and 805 points in 1,060 regular season games, but was never able to lift that elusive Stanley Cup. He unfortunately suffered his latest head injury when chasing that dream with the Boston Bruins, a team that traded a large package of assets to get his unique skill set.

It was a unique skill set indeed for the 2002 first overall pick. The 6’4″ winger at his best was a freight train on skates, moving faster than almost anyone on the ice and using his exceptionally long reach to slide pucks around defensemen and goaltenders alike. Developed into a top defensive player along with his elite offensive upside, Nash received Selke votes three times in his career. He would also receive Hart Trophy votes on three occasions, though the only individual trophy he collected was a Maurice Richard award for leading the league in goals as a 19-year old sophomore.

While he didn’t ever lift the Stanley Cup, it would be foolish to think that Nash couldn’t contribute to team success. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, he took part in the tournament three times for Canada over the years. His versatility in that tournament often led to him being part of a checking line that was tasked with shutting down some of the best players in the world, though in 2010 he still recorded five points in seven games.

Nash was also a three-time medalist at the World Championship, captaining Canada in his final appearance at the tournament in 2011. The “C” is something he had also worn for the Columbus Blue Jackets for several years, as the team’s first franchise player. He introduced NHL hockey to the Columbus fan base as a teenage phenom and provided them with highlight after highlight throughout the years.

The second part of his career was spent with the New York Rangers, where he once again found his scoring touch and put up a 42-goal season for the team in 2014-15. He is one of only 12 players to have ever scored at least 42 goals in a single season for the Rangers, and should be remembered well even if he wasn’t able to get the team to a championship.

The Brampton, Ontario-born Nash has always been extremely dedicated to his family, and this decision is just more proof of that dedication. While there is certainly more successful hockey in his body, taking care of his brain is the obvious choice. He’ll be remembered as one of the greatest goal scoring talents of his generation, and one that helped the Blue Jackets establish themselves as a fixture in the NHL.

Injury| Newsstand Rick Nash

6 comments

One Year Later: Matt Duchene Will Dictate The Senators’ Future

November 5, 2018 at 6:20 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

A year ago today, the Ottawa Senators made a three-team deal with the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators. Since then, names like Erik Karlsson, Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Evander Kane, and Tomas Tatar (twice) have all been traded. Yet, it’s that November 5th deal that is still the most memorable recent trade for many, due to both the immediate impact and the lasting results.

In that trade, Ottawa – at a contract impasse with center Kyle Turris – dealt he, first-round prospect forward Shane Bowers, goaltender Andrew Hammond, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick to Colorado. The Avs then flipped Turris to Nashville for defenseman Samuel Girard, forward Vladislav Kamenev, and a second-round pick. It was quite a haul for Colorado and they have yet to even use either of Ottawa’s picks, including a likely lottery pick in the first round next year. The Predators meanwhile signed Turris to a six-year extension and he has 53 points in 79 games since joining the team. The return for all of this for the Senators? Matt Duchene, who a year later is in limbo with an expiring contract and a team that is far from the contender he was promised.

As TSN’s Ian Mendes notes, Senators GM Pierre Dorion was coming off a 2016-17 season that saw his team make a run to the Eastern Conference final. When he acquired Duchene, he thought it could be the final piece of the puzzle to get them back and through that third round of the playoffs. Instead, Ottawa sunk to the second-worst record in the NHL. It’s too late to reverse that trade or the events of last season. The team could have simply traded Turris for picks and prospects at the deadline, as Mendes points out, and certainly could have found a deal for a top-six forward this off-season that was far less expensive. Their first-round pick in 2019 could be first overall, franchise center Jack Hughes, and there’s nothing they could do. Boston University standout Bowers could blossom into a top-line forward, but there’s no recourse for that. The only element of the trade left in the control of Dorion and the Senators is the future of Duchene and with it potentially the future of the team.

Ottawa is faced with two choices this season: pay Duchene or trade him. The 2009 third overall pick carries a $6MM cap hit on his current contract. If he were to hit the open market, he would certainly be due a raise. Duchene’s alleged reason for wanting out of Colorado last season was ironically that he didn’t want to play through a rebuild. If that is still his mindset, it would take a substantial sum from the Senators to keep him around. Owner Eugene Melnyk has been unwilling to pay his better player their fair value, leading to the Karlsson trade and likely more moves to come. Will he make an exception for Duchene? If not, the Senators need to move Duchene and sooner rather than later. The trade deadline will be the final opportunity to trade the star center, who will have a long list of suitors, but his value drops each day leading up to that point. Dorion will likely never get back a package commensurate with what he gave up for Duchene, but his best chance to get close is to trade him as soon as possible to the highest bidder.

Either option serves to benefit the Senators. Duchene may not be a superstar, but he is a talented, well-rounded player who is capable of leading Ottawa out of the basement if provided with at least a little support. On the other side, the team cannot escape the reality of their own rebuild and could greatly use the trade capital that they would gain from a Duchene trade. The worst case scenario – and a veritable death knell for the franchise – would be to make neither decision, opting not to trade Duchene and waiting and hoping for an extension agreement only to watch him walk away in free agency. One year later, this notorious trade is still so prevalent around the NHL. The Senators should celebrate the anniversary by making another major move with Duchene – a new contract or another trade – as soon as humanly possible.

Colorado Avalanche| Free Agency| Nashville Predators| Ottawa Senators| Prospects Andrew Hammond| Erik Karlsson| Evander Kane| Kyle Turris| Matt Duchene| Rick Nash| Ryan McDonagh| Samuel Girard| Tomas Tatar| Vladislav Kamenev

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Rick Nash Still Not Fully Healthy, Undecided On Playing Future

October 9, 2018 at 4:32 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Despite the rumors that exploded late last night and early this morning about Rick Nash submitting his retirement papers to the NHL, the veteran forward has not made a decision about his hockey playing future. Nash’s agent Joe Resnick reached out to Darren Dreger of TSN to report that nothing had changed, but Nash himself spoke to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) to explain the situation. Not going into details, Nash told Portzline that he is still experiencing side-effects from his last concussion and would wait until they subsided before making a decision.

Nash’s representatives told teams that he wouldn’t be signing with anyone in the July 1st frenzy, and now several months later has still not come to any final decision on his playing career. Concussions can having lasting effects on a player’s performance and off-ice life, and while Nash certainly still has the skill to play in the NHL there’s no telling what effect it would have on his health. Portzline believes that if Nash were to return to the league it would “almost certainly be with the [Columbus] Blue Jackets or one of five or six other teams he’s identified as Stanley Cup contenders.”

Scoring 21 goals last season split between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, Nash headed into the summer as one of the best free agent forwards on the market. In fact, he ranked sixth on our Top 50 Free Agents this offseason, and was easily the highest that remains unsigned. It’s hard to imagine a player that has been such a consistent goal scoring threat would be out of the league after his 13th 20-goal campaign, but it seems as though that is a very real possibility. Nash has 437 career regular season goals in his 1,060 games, and at one point was among the very best in the league at putting the puck in the net.

In fact, those 437 goals actually tie Nash with the great Pavel Bure for 67th all-time in NHL goal scoring. If he did sign, he’d be behind only Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Marleau among active players, and could pass several other Hall of Famers with an average season. The big, powerful winger won the Maurice Richard trophy once as the league’s top goal scorer and received Selke votes several times as one of the best defensive forwards.

Retirement Rick Nash

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Central Notes: Blackhawks, Fabbri, Nichushkin, Greenway, Johnson

September 1, 2018 at 3:58 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

With a significant amount of cap space remaining to them, the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves in an unusual position. The team has been very quiet this offseason, not including the trade that sent Marian Hossa to Arizona or signing Cam Ward to be the backup goaltender. However, with almost $5.5MM in cap space available to them, the Blackhawks have a number of options in front of them, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required).

The scribe writes that one option is to spend some of that money on current free agents, but aside from Rick Nash, there are few options there. With Brandon Davidson agreeing to a PTO, the team could look to add a couple more of those to bolster their roster as they do have a number of youngsters expected to make the team. If one should struggle, the team could lean on those free agents. The team could also make a deal for a player a team is looking to unload before the season starts.

Powers also adds one of the better possibilities would be to wait for the trade deadline and acquire a player then. The only issue there is that there is no guarantee that Chicago will be heading back to the playoffs. Another down season could send them back to the lottery, which means they wouldn’t want to spend that money on deadline acquisitions. Of course, the final option would be to do nothing, but regardless, the team is better off with cap room than in past years. It’s now just how they intend to spend it.

  • The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) profiles the recovery of St. Louis Blues’ winger Robby Fabbri, who missed the entire 2017-18 season after enduring a setback in his recovery during training camp last season from ACL surgery that he had after suffering a knee injury on Feb. 4, 2016. Now after two surgeries and a full year to recover, Powers shows what the 22-year-old has gone through and how he is finally ready to compete for a top-six role for the Blues this year.
  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) studies the film of Valeri Nichushkin, who had a impressive rookie season back in the 2013-14 season, then missed most of the following season. After just an average showing the next year, Nichuskin left the NHL for the KHL, but now is returning after a pair of average seasons there. Now back, Shapiro suggests that his more developed 6-foot-4 frame should be a major factor in front of the net, but that a 30-point season would be a realistic expectation for the 23-year-old as he isn’t considered to be a great finisher in front of the net.
  • The Minnesota Wild may have been quiet all offseason, but the team may make multiple lineup changes this season. One person who is likely to benefit will be Jordan Greenway. The 21-year-old signed with the Wild after a three-year stint with Boston University and is expected to jump right into the lineup, according to the StarTribune’s Sarah MacLellan. “I think he’s ready,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “ … It’s his job to lose.” Greenway appeared in 11 games for Minnesota last year, posting an assist in six regular season games, and a goal and an assist in five playoff games.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that considering the strength of the team’s defense, new backup goaltender Chad Johnson should thrive in the Blues system and be able to put up solid numbers. Johnson, who struggled immensely in Buffalo last year, posting a .891 save percentage in 36 games, is likely to have a bounce back season. In fact, Thomas writes that Johnson’s career numbers are actually quite a bit better than former backup Carter Hutton, who is now in Buffalo.

Bruce Boudreau| Chicago Blackhawks| Minnesota Wild| St. Louis Blues Brandon Davidson| Cam Ward| Carter Hutton| Chad Johnson| Jordan Greenway| Marian Hossa| Rick Nash| Robby Fabbri| Valeri Nichushkin

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Snapshots: Zetterberg, Brodeur, Nash

August 26, 2018 at 7:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill provided an update on the condition of Henrik Zetterberg to reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan and the prognosis isn’t a good one.  He noted that as things stand, he doesn’t expect the veteran to be ready to play in training camp and that if that is indeed the case, it’s doubtful that he will play at all in 2018-19.  Zetterberg dealt with lingering back issues last season and the pain doesn’t appear to be going away.  Detroit will be eligible to place his $6.083MM contract on LTIR if he is deemed unable to play during his physical at training camp next month.

Blashill also stated that Andreas Athanasiou is the most likely candidate to shift to center if Zetterberg is indeed out for the season.  While Darren Helm is also a natural center, he has spent the bulk of the last few years on the wing but the coach believes the continuity of keeping him there is preferable for the Red Wings.

More from around the league:

  • The contract for Martin Brodeur as the assistant GM in St. Louis expired back in June and although he was expected to return, that is no longer the case, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required). He spent the past three years in that capacity while also spending a year split between playing and being a special advisor with the Blues.  Rutherford notes that his next destination is not yet known but it’s believed that he would like to return to the Devils at some point where he spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career.
  • With training camps set to start within the next couple of weeks, Rick Nash remains the most prominent unrestricted free agent left on the market. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link) that he has yet to hear anything regarding the winger’s intentions for 2018-19.  Boston acquired him just before the trade deadline to fill a role in their top-six and have yet to really fill that vacancy over the summer.  If Nash does decide at some point to play, a return to Boston on a one-year pact would certainly be an option; he had stated back in May that he’d be open to returning there.

Detroit Red Wings| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues Andreas Athanasiou| Henrik Zetterberg| Rick Nash

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Blue Jackets Notes: Panarin, Bobrovsky, Nash

August 23, 2018 at 7:49 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Even in a relatively quiet summer for the Blue Jackets, in which the team has only added Riley Nash as a bona fide piece of their roster and taken fliers on Anthony Duclair, Adam Clendening, and Ryan MacInnis, Columbus has nevertheless been one of the more talked-about teams this off-season. With two of the biggest potential 2019 free agents currently employed as well as the most prominent remaining 2018 free agent possibly considering a comeback, the Blue Jackets could still make headlines before the season begins. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline addresses these issues and more in his latest article:

  • Portzline writes that there is no traction on extensions for either Artemi Panarin or Sergei Bobrovsky as they enter the final year of their respective contracts. The duo will almost certainly enter the season without a new deal, as has been expected for Panarin, and where things go from there remains unclear. It has already been noted that the team is not actively in talks with Bobrovsky, and that could partly be due to Portzline’s assertion that he is looking for “Carey Price money”; the Canadiens’ star goaltender signed an eight-year, $84MM extension last summer. However, given the almost immediate regret felt by Montreal over that contract, the Blue Jackets may be content to ride the season out with Bobrovsky and see whether his performance and health dictate similar terms. Although Bobrovsky is an elite goaltender, he would share next summer’s market with Pekka Rinne, Mike Smith, Semyon Varlamov, Cam Talbot, Jimmy Howard, and more and may land his biggest payday if he sticks with Columbus.
  • Meanwhile, Portzline also adds that the likelihood of a Panarin trade prior to the season is as equally unlikely as an extension. Despite talks all off-season long, it seems like no offers got past what he describes as the “futures” stage, while the contender-quality Blue Jackets would prefer immediate help in any Paranin deal. A trade could still happen at some point during the season, and even seems likely, but it won’t be anytime soon. Panarin has not even supplied GM Jarmo Kekalainen with his list of preferred destinations yet. Although, Portzline suggests the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers could top that hypothetical list, while Panarin was previously linked to the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks.
  • Portzline also writes that the team has stayed in contact with Rick Nash throughout this off-season and even made an offer soon after the market opened. They have also had face-to-face meetings with the former Blue Jackets superstar about returning to Columbus. While Nash asked teams for space this summer as he decides on his playing future, being careful to consider his mounting injuries, if he does choose to keep playing it would be for a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins continue to be the most likely destinations.

Boston Bruins| Columbus Blue Jackets Adam Clendening| Anthony Duclair| Artemi Panarin| Rick Nash| Riley Nash| Sergei Bobrovsky

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Bruins Expect Bergeron, Krug, And Carlo To Be Ready For Camp

August 20, 2018 at 7:16 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

By the time the Boston Bruins exited the postseason in early May after a Game Five loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they were in rough shape. Defensemen Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug had both already been lost to broken ankles, David Backes, Riley Nash, and Rick Nash were all dealing with concussion symptoms, Zdeno Chara and Jake DeBrusk had both been playing through shoulder injuries, and Brad Marchand and Noel Acciari were working with groin issues. Soon after, it was revealed that Patrice Bergeron had been dealing with a recurring groin injury all year. This did not come as much of a surprise, considering that Bergeron has missed the beginning of each of the past two seasons due to groin ailments. However, Bergeron finally decided to go under the knife and his early June surgery date and subsequent recovery put his health at the start of the 2018-19 season in some doubt. Between Bergeron and barrage of other Bruins injuries, it seemed like a long shot that the team would begin the new campaign at full health.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy says not to fear, as he expects his team to be ready to go not only be ready for the season opener, but also the start of training camp. Cassidy recently spoke with Matt Porter of the Boston Globe and reassured fans that everyone is doing well in their recoveries and on track to start the year at full strength. Gone are both Riley and Rick Nash, but the numerous other injured Bruins are in good shape. Porter writes that DeBrusk, Acciari, and Backes are fully recovered from their issues and doesn’t even make note of Chara and Marchand, as the two superstars appear to be more than ready for the season. Cassidy even went so far as to say that Carlo and Krug would definitely be ready for camp. Despite each suffering a severe injury, a broken ankle, Cassidy states that they are already back skating and working towards game readiness.

Cassidy went a little further in depth with Bergeron, who he certainly would like to avoid having miss any time to begin the season for a third straight year. Cassidy says that Bergeron’s recovery is going well and he at least expects him “in uniform” if not participating fully when training camp starts. Cassidy did cast some doubt over Bergeron’s preseason usage. Especially given that team opens their tuneup schedule ahead of the rest of the league with a two-game series with the Calgary Flames, there’s little reason to rush the two-way ace into action. Cassidy expects that Bergeron will miss some preseason action but trusts that the veteran will “play [as much] as he needs”. Regardless of the preaseason workload, Cassidy expects Bergeron – and the rest of the team – to be ready to go when they square off with the defending champion Washington Capitals in the season opener on October 3rd.

Boston Bruins| Bruce Cassidy| Injury| Schedule Brad Marchand| Brandon Carlo| David Backes| Jake DeBrusk| Noel Acciari| Patrice Bergeron| Rick Nash| Riley Nash| Torey Krug| Zdeno Chara

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Snapshots: Allen, Heiskanen, Rangers

August 17, 2018 at 8:13 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

Despite the vast improvements made by the St. Louis Blues this off-season, the common perception is that their fate still lies in the hands of goaltender Jake Allen. Last season, in the first of a new four-year, $17.4MM contract, Allen took a major step back. The 27-year-old had been a great success as a part-time goalie early in his career and looked like he was ready for full-time duty after the 2016-17 campaign, but was unable to handle the workload. Allen’s appearances actually dropped last season from 61 to 59 as backup Carter Hutton took over the starter’s job with consistent and impressive play. Allen posted a .906 save percentage and career-worst 2.75 GAA and failed to record a plus quality starts percentage. That has to change next season. As The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton writes, Allen is the key to St. Louis’ success (or failure) in 2018-19. With Hutton gone, replaced with journeyman Chad Johnson, the pressure is back on Allen to be the legitimate starter that he has shown flashes of. The Blues should be applauded for re-hauling their forward core this off-season, somehow managing to add Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, Tyler Bozak, and Patrick Maroon without going over the salary cap. The team also continues to sport one of the deeper blue line’s in the league. However, they need consistent capable play out of Allen or it could be all for not. St. Louis has a contender’s roster if only they can get Allen back on track.

  • Dallas Stars super-prospect Miro Heiskanen is all-in on making the team this season. The 19-year-old is just one year removed from being selected third overall in the NHL Draft and is ready to show that he was worth the selection. Stars beat writer Mark Stepenski reports that Heiskanen has already arrived in Dallas and has begun working out with teammates, including veteran leaders Jamie Benn and Ben Bishop. The young defenseman has worked hard this summer and is preparing to wow the Stars’ coaches and executives in training camp. For their part, the Stars’ decision-makers already believe that Heiskanen is ready, although they caution that there will be some adjustments to make and that expectations may be getting too high. Some have even stated that Heiskanen is a legitimate threat to No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres in the upcoming Calder Trophy race. They might not be too far off; like Dahlin, Heiskanen has two years of pro experience already, in the Finnish Liiga, and possess both elite skating ability and next-level awareness and positioning. With those skills already at a pro level, it might not be too difficult of a transition for Heiskanen after all.
  • The New York Rangers not only lost captain Ryan McDonagh last season, but they also lost alternate Rick Nash and head coach Alain Vigneault. In speaking with new coach David Quinn, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen discovered that the freshman bench boss would like to get to know his locker room and see how the season begins before naming a new leader. Quinn said:

    “We’ve talked about it as an organization. I think a captain emerges. You don’t want to put a burden on somebody that isn’t ready for it. So I think that will just happen one way or the other. It either will happen that someone will emerge and separate themselves as someone who is clearly going to be the captain, or it won’t happen. I think that will take care of itself.”

    Frequent alternates Marc Staal or Jesper Fast could emerge as favorites, but neither jumps out as a spectacular candidate for captain. Long-time forward Mats Zuccarello also wore the “A” often, but one has to wonder if it would be worth giving the “C” to a player on an expiring contract who seems unlikely to earn an extension. The same could be said for top center Kevin Hayes. While it is uncommon, Quinn could lean towards awarding the captaincy to star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who Rosen writes he has already gotten to know very well. Young defenseman Brady Skjei, fresh off of a six-year extension this summer, appears to be the cornerstone of the Rangers’ rebuild and could emerge as a top candidate. As Quinn says, only time will tell.

Dallas Stars| New York Rangers| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues Ben Bishop| Brady Skjei| Carter Hutton| Chad Johnson| David Perron| Henrik Lundqvist| Jake Allen| Jamie Benn| Jesper Fast| Kevin Hayes| Marc Staal| Mats Zuccarello| Miro Heiskanen| Patrick Maroon| Rasmus Dahlin| Rick Nash| Ryan McDonagh| Salary Cap| Tyler Bozak

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Rick Nash Still Uncertain About Returning Next Season

June 28, 2018 at 10:55 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 8 Comments

One of the most surprising revelations of the last few weeks was a report that veteran winger Rick Nash had considered retirement after suffering another concussion late in the season with the Boston Bruins. That idea seemed to be fading as we heard reports of the Columbus Blue Jackets and other teams reaching out to Nash in the free agent interview period, but now Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the 34-year old forward has informed teams he will not sign on July 1st. Nash is still considering whether to play next season, and “didn’t want to further interfere” with the plans of teams looking to improve through free agency.

It’s a classy move by Nash to not make teams wait on him, but it still could throw a wrench into the offseason for some. Should Nash decide that he wants to continue—and all fans of the sport should hope that he remains healthy enough to do so—down the line, there may be little cap room available from some of his biggest suitors. He’s obviously resigned to the fact that he may be weakening his negotiation power by pushing off a decision, but one has to wonder whether he’ll be a late-summer addition to a playoff team. Like acquiring a player at the deadline, it could be a big boost to a team that has lost someone to injury during training camp or has seen a rival load up with key free agents.

Nash recorded the 13th 20-goal season of his career in 2017-18, registering 21 goals in 71 games split between the Bruins and New York Rangers. Though he’s obviously not the dominant offensive player of his youth, he can still skate well enough to contribute at both ends of the ice and remains an effective penalty killer. The fact that he struggled in the playoffs for the Bruins could be due to health concerns, but even then he was still a positive possession player for the team.

If it is the end of Nash’s career, he’ll go down as one of the better talents of his generation. In 1,060 games he recorded 437 goals and 805 points, won a Rocket Richard trophy for the first of three 40-goal seasons, and three times received Selke votes as one of the league’s best defensive forwards. Selected first-overall by Columbus in 2002, he didn’t see the second round of the playoffs until coming to New York, and was never able to lift the Stanley Cup.

Free Agency| Retirement Rick Nash

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    Sabres, Mammoth Elect Salary Arbitration With Bowen Byram, Jack McBain

    Players Still Eligible For Offer Sheets

    Eleven Players Elect Salary Arbitration

    Lyndon Byers Passes Away At 61

    Blue Jackets Re-Sign Dmitri Voronkov

    Mammoth Begin Extension Talks With Logan Cooley

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