It has been a good summer for the New York Rangers, who improved themselves with a blockbuster trade for star left wing Rick Nash earlier this week and have yet to see the same from their Eastern Conference rivals.
Nash has been wasting away on mediocre-to-terrible Columbus Blue Jackets teams for years, the lone consistent attraction for hockey fans in Ohio. Now he finds himself joining last year’s No. 1 seed in the conference and a team that came within two wins of the Stanley Cup finals.
Nash, 28, isn’t Alex Ovechkin. He has topped 69 points just once. But he can put the puck in the net; he has scored between 27 and 40 goals every season in the last eight. Playing next to star center Brad Richards, Nash is a good bet to match his better seasons. And the Rangers have enough remaining versatility in their lineup to replace rugged winger Brandon Dubinsky and talented center Artem Anisimov, plus have some salary-cap space left for another addition if needed.
– Brian McNally
