What if Rick Nash won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers?
September is finally upon us which means that summer is now in the books and we can really start to look forward to the imminent return of New York Rangers hockey.
However, the lull of the hockey off-season will continue in earnest before the New York Rangers report to Training Camp on Sep, 12 so, as a result, I thought it would be fun to delve into the recent past and play devils advocate.
So, let’s jump into the time machine and go back in time to see 2013 to assess the following: What if Rick Nash would have won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers?
Firstly, before we head off into fantasy land, it is important we revisit facts and Nash’s current legacy with the Blueshirts, which is complicated to say the very least.
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Taken with the first overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Nash quickly established himself as an elite game-changer in the NHL thanks to his rare blend of imposing size, sheer power, blistering speed and a treasure chest of skill.
He had the ability to come up clutch in the biggest moments with the pressure on, and he also seemed to thrive under the pressure of carrying his Blue Jackets team firmly on his back. In-fact, he flourished in that environment and would go on to wear the “C” on his jersey in four of his nine seasons in Columbus.
There was no doubt that Nash was one of the premier elite players in the NHL and he carved out a pretty impressive body of work with the Blue Jackets, accumulating 547 points (289 goals, 258 assists) in 674 games, so it was no surprise when teams with championship aspirations began sniffing around.
And Nash should have actually been a New York Ranger at the 2012 Trade Deadline with the Blueshirts looking to bolster their roster ahead of a deep postseason run, which eventually ended in the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils. Henrik Lundqvist would go on to win the Vezina Trophy at the end of 2011-12, by the way.
However, the Rangers finally got their man on July, 23, 2012, when they sent a blockbuster package containing forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon and a First Round selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Nash, blueliner Steven Delisle and a conditional Third Round selection in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Some thought that was a steep price to pay for Nash but, as it turned out, he was an offensive juggernaut for the Rangers and will go down as one of the best scorers in franchise history. His legacy is somewhat tainted by the fact that he didn’t win a Stanley Cup in The Big Apple, however, and we’ll assess how that legacy may look now if he did bring a championship back to New York.
But, first, it is important we breakdown Nash’s full impact as a New York Ranger and what he actually achieved at Madison Square Garden…