TSN hockey insider Darren
Dreger recently reported that the San Jose Sharks are emerging as a serious
contender in the Rick Nash
sweepstakes. It is my understanding that San Jose
was not one of the teams on the list Nash provided. That is not to say he would
not accept a deal there. Could San Jose make a serious offer?
Columbus GM Scott Howson has said he was looking to get back
at least a roster player, some top prospects and draft picks in return.
If Nash becomes a Shark, it wont be for Logan Couture |
San Jose has
been back-to-back conference finalists and will be looking to break that
threshold and make their first Stanley Cup finals appearance. Dreger reports
that the primary target of Columbus
was Logan Couture, but that was
dismissed as a possibility by the Sharks.
So what would get it done for San Jose?
If not Couture then perhaps both sides could agree on either Martin Havlat, or Joe Pavelski as the producing roster player. In terms of prospects
in the system, Taylor Doherty who is
6’7’ and weighs 235Lbs and can provide some offense would be very attractive. Justin Braun, Nick Petrecki and one of
the goalie prospects of Harri Sateri,
or Alex Stalock could also be
included.
The Cap influence is manageable between these two teams.
Nash obviously relieves Columbus of
his $7.8 million average. If Havlat or Pavelski who make $5 and $4 million
average each were going to Columbus
the cap would fit for this year and beyond. With those two players, San
Jose has 14 players signed for next season with $8.735
in projected cap space. With the CBA expiring this summer there is really no
clear picture of what the cap will look like.
Joe Thornton and Rick Nash won Olympic Gold together. |
While Nash may not have listed San Jose
as a city he would be willing to go to, he may change his mind. He is very good
friends with Joe Thornton, and they
have shown good chemistry playing together for team Canada.
A top line pairing of Thornton and Nash may be the best pairing in the NHL
since Gretzky-Kurri or Hull and
Oates.
Would Nash agree to move to San Jose?
It is a beautiful city, with excellent weather, but a rough travel schedule.
Potentially a trade could look like this. Rick Nash for
Martin Havlat, Taylor Doherty, Nick Petrecki, Alex Stalock, and the first round
draft pick in the 2013 draft. That deal would be the Sharks preference but
would Columbus be happy with Havlat?
It is more likely Howson insists on Pavelski in the deal. Then it could look
like this. Nash for Pavelski, Doherty, Stalock and the draft pick excluding
Petrecki from the deal. Losing Pavelski would hurt, but San
Jose would still bolster Thornton
and Couture as their one two punch at center.
Would that be enough to convince Howson to deal with the
Sharks? Would another team make a stronger offer? That is what we will look at
tomorrow when I examine what the Washington Capitals could offer!
Follow me on Twitter: @pharling
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