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New York Rangers: The Ever-Growing Rick Nash Trade Tree

By Conor Power

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: Rick Nash #61 of the New York Rangers and Matt Calvert #11 of the Columbus Blue Jackets collide as Jack Johnson #3 of the Blue Jackets looks on at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: Rick Nash #61 of the New York Rangers and Matt Calvert #11 of the Columbus Blue Jackets collide as Jack Johnson #3 of the Blue Jackets looks on at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 23: Rick Nash #61 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2018 Stanley Cup Play-offs at the Air Canada Centre on April 23, 2018, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 23: Rick Nash #61 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2018 Stanley Cup Play-offs at the Air Canada Centre on April 23, 2018, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Nash’s Branch

As we follow the growing paths that this tree will lead us down, let us start with the big name. That is Rick Nash himself. As the window around the old guard of the New York Rangers started to slam shut, it was time for the Blueshirts to move off what they can and try to build for the future. Management determined that they were not going to win anything with this core and took it upon itself to rebuild this roster.

Nash was moved on to Beantown at the trade deadline in 2018. His time as a Bruin was relatively uneventful. In 11 games, he had 3 goals and 3 assists. In the playoffs, he recorded 3 goals and 2 assists for the Bruins in 12 games. Following the season, Nash retired after sighting injuries sustained to his head and fears of worsening his concussion moving forward. Columbus retired his number after this, but a sad ending to a great career.

As for what the Rangers got back, let’s start with the players. Ryan Spooner would not be in the Big Apple for long as he would be flipped to Edmonton at the beginning of the following season. This would be the trade that brought Ryan Strome to New York. While Strome was not the best player, he was a much-appreciated soldier for the team that had to endure the depths of the league as they rebuilt.

Matt Beleskey would stay in the minors as he was used as a cap dump here. He spent two seasons in the Rangers organization but never really impacted anything. He did play 5 games for the Rangers, scoring once in 2018-19. He’s not played professional hockey since the pandemic but hasn’t officially announced his retirement anywhere I could see when researching this.

If you have keen eyes, you may have spotted the guy from this deal still on the roster. That’s Ryan Lindgren. Everyone loves him because of his willingness to give up his body and play through any ailment, but as one of the few defensemen on this team that excels in the defensive zone, he’s an important part of the success of players like Adam Fox and that partnership has been vital for the Rangers success in recent seasons.

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