New York Rangers: A reunion with Rick Nash would not be good for either side
With rumors circling that the Boston Bruins are sitting down with Rick Nash next week to negotiate an extension, the possibility of the forward hitting free agency remains. The New York Rangers should stay away.
For any National Hockey League Franchise, depth is a major key. Any club that can roll out four balanced lines and three defensive pairs is amongst the best in the league. It is no coincidence that both the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals have balanced lineups and are in the Stanley Cup Finals. Furthermore, the Rangers have had their own fair share of success with the four line strategy.
Of course, this requires a balance in the types of talent within the roster. Naturally, there is going to be a hierarchy of talent in which the cream rises to the top. The best players play the most minutes for their respective team. Being that there are only 60 minutes in an NHL game, that means they have to be split up amongst the roster. This can create a situation in which players that need minutes are not given them.
Amongst the biggest indictments of Alain Vigneault’s entire tenure as Rangers head coach was his player usage. There was not much logic that went into his decisions, players were given their line mates and minutes at random. In addition, this starved out younger players that truly needed the ice time. Young players cannot go from prospect to player without growing pains.
Related Story: The Evander Kane contract should serve as a warning
The Rangers would be better off not bringing a player like Nash back into the fold. Even on a one or two year deal, Nash would be taking away minutes from a younger, developing player.
A true rebuild
Ultimately, it depends on what the front office’s vision for next season is. If Jeff Gorton and Glen Sather are okay with giving their new head coach David Quinn a blank season to experiment, Nash makes no sense. Let’s say the Rangers are going to fully embrace the youth movement and continue to integrate prospects into the NHL roster. With A true rebuilding season, a player like Nash, who is in the twilight of his career, has little personal incentive. What does a player without a Stanley Cup championship get from playing on a rebuilding club?
However, in the case that Nash is perfectly okay with a non-competing season, he would be hurting the team long term. Part of the reason the Rangers are in the situation they are in, is players like Nash. Way back when New York traded for Nash, they sent two players (Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov) the other way. This pattern of gutting the roster for superstars left a dearth of replacement players.
Now that the roster has gone through several cycles since Nash was brought in, the team needs to start over. There were not any players waiting in the wings to fill in the roles that this season’s trades made. Instead, the Rangers turned to replacement level NHL players with low ceilings. This made for the worst season in more than eight years.
Reloading
On the other hand, if the front office decides that the team is only a move or two away from the postseason, Nash likely does not fit either. As of the moment, the Rangers have several players capable of scoring between 30 and 40 points. At this stage in his career, Nash is nothing more than a middle six player that can drive possession. With the perfect situation, he could probably push 50 points.
However, the Rangers do not have the talent to get that level of production out of Nash. Take the first half of the 2017-2018 season, Nash posted 28 points in 60 games. For comparison, the Rangers had nine forwards last season post better than Nash’s .46 points per game. Simply put, for what Nash brings to the table, the Rangers are better off trying out a developing player.
Even if New York chooses to swing a trade or two and bring in veteran talents, there really is not a place for Nash. So, let’s say the Rangers top nine for next season is Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider, Filip Chytil, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Spooner, Kevin Hayes, Vladislav Namestnikov, Lias Andersson and Jimmy Vesey.
That is without the likely move or two to come this summer. So, that gives the Rangers 10 or 11 forwards with priority over Nash in the lineup.
Next: The Rangers need for veteran leadership
On top of the team not having a spot for Nash, there is the realistic issue that he is simply not the player he used to be. After being traded to Boston, the forward suffered another concussion. As a player with a known concussion history, the risks outweigh the rewards with Nash. The Rangers would be best off avoiding a reunion.