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

Columbus’ Side

Now, we move on to the side of the Jackets. If you forgot that this was supposed to be a trade tree and not just how the Rangers built their entire franchise around one deal, I don’t blame you but it is time to look at the Jackets side. This is already a miniature novel in length, so I will try to crush through this as quickly as I can.

Let’s start with Dubinsky. He actually retired as a member of the Blue Jackets organization so no trade to worry about here. He played 7 years in Ohio with injuries derailing the later part of his career. He became a leader for the Blue Jackets during his final years in the league helping guide through their young talents.

Tim Erixson would be traded to the Blackhawks for Jeremy Morin. Morin would be dealt alongside Artem Anisimov back to the Blackhawks alongside Corey Tropp and Marko Dano and a 2016 4th-round pick that became Anatoly Golyshev for Michael Paliotta, Alex Broadhurst, and Brandon Saad.

Broadhurst was traded to Winnipeg later for future considerations. That branch ends. Paliotta was never traded again, and thus that branch ends. However, if you remember the Brandon Saad saga, you know that we have a major trade coming and it is for a player that is currently on the New York Rangers roster which I find incredibly ironic.

Two future Rangers ended up going to Columbus in this deal which is funny. Obviously, Panarin would walk away from Columbus in free agency to join the Rangers. Tyler Motte would be traded to Vancouver alongside Jussi Jokinen for Tomas Vanek. From Vancouver, he would become a Ranger, but that is for a different day. Vanek walked in free agency to Detroit and retired after a year.

However, that 2017 6th-round pick was used to take Jonathan Davidsson. Davidsson himself is now an Ottawa Senator because he was used in a major trade that would bring the first playoff series in the history of the Columbus Blue Jackets to fruition. He was packaged alongside Vitaly Abramov and a 2019 1st-round pick for Matt Duchene and Julius Bergman.

Where this gets funny is that Bergman was actually dealt to the Rangers along with a 2019 4th that became Hunter Skinner and a 2019 7th that was used on Eric Ciccolini for Adam McQuaid. See, these two teams have both benefitted from this trade.

We still have one more branch to clear up on the Blue Jackets side and it is that of the 2013 1st round pick they got for Nash. Don’t worry, this one isn’t going to go on for too long. It was used on Kerby Rychel. He was traded to Toronto for Scott Harrington. Harrington walked away from the Jackets in free agency, and that ends their side of the Rick Nash Trade tree.