In a six piece deal, the Boston Bruins acquired forward Rick Nash from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Ryan Lindgren, forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, plus a 2018 1st round pick and a 2019 7th.
The Bruins are near the top in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race. They are also pushing to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs to win the President\’s trophy. Acquiring Nash, a former 40 goal scorer, will help. They give up a little too much, but I think Nash\’s services will help them a lot.
Nash, 33, has scored 18 goals and 10 assists for 28 points in 60 games this season for the Rangers. In his career for them and the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nash has scored 434 goals and 265 assists for 799 points in 1,049 games.
The Rangers have been selling off their rentals, including Nick Holden, Michael Grabner, now Nash. In return, they get Spooner, a second or third line center, Beleskey, a winger with a big cap hit, but can play bottom six for them, Lindgren, a good prospect, and a 1st round pick. The 7th probably won\’t turn out to be anything, but it could.
Spooner, 26, has scored nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 39 games for the Bruins this season. In his NHL career, all in Boston, Spooner has scored 41 goals and 101 assists for 142 points in 253 games.
Beleskey, 29, has scored no points in 14 games for the Bruins this year. In his NHL career for the Bruins and Anaheim Ducks, Belesky has scored 75 goals and 82 assists for 157 points in 472 games.
Lindgren, 20, has scored two goals and five assists for seven points in 33 games for the University of Minnesota this season.
I think the Rangers win this trade. Nash isn\’t a superstar anymore. And yes, he\’s a good player, but he isn\’t worth that much. The Bruins could\’ve traded less to get Nash.
CarterHud 