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Boston Bruins go all in, acquire Rick Nash from Rangers

By Joe Szymanski

OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 17: New York Rangers Left Wing Rick Nash (61) after a whistle during second period National Hockey League action between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators on February 17, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 17: New York Rangers Left Wing Rick Nash (61) after a whistle during second period National Hockey League action between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators on February 17, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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During the game last night, rumors started swirling about a Rick Nash to the Boston Bruins deal.  Well, it’s official now.

As the story percolated last night through reputable sources, the Boston Bruins became the front runners for Rick Nash.  Many Bruins fans awoke to find that the widely reported deal was finalized Sunday morning.

In exchange for Nash, the Bruins sent Ryan Spooner, Ryan Lindgren, Matt Beleskey, a 2018 First Round Pick, and a 2019 Seventh Round Pick.  The Bruins will retain 50% of Beleskey’s contract, likewise the Rangers will retain 50% of Rick Nash’s contract.  Nash, will likely slot into Spooner’s spot next to David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk on the 2nd line.

Boston Bruins
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 07: Rick Nash /

I think this is an upgrade for the clearly cup contending Bruins, and this move doesn’t disrupt the chemistry developed on the bottom six.  Spooner became expendable to the organization in the deal because of the great play of the third line consisting of Danton Heinen-Riley Nash-David Backes and Spooner doesn’t fit as a fourth liner.

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On the year, Nash has 18 goals and 10 assists for a total of 28 points, which is tied for 8th on the Bruins with Riley Nash.  Although he may not be the player he once was, I think he’s a perfect rental for this team.  His size and strength fits the mold of wingers that have succeeded with Krejci, and outside of Backes, the Bruins wings were smaller, speedy scorers.

Also, being traded to a deep Bruins team means that Nash won’t have to be the top scoring option like he was at times with the Rangers.  I’m not saying that he doesn’t have to score, but he has guys like David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, DeBrusk to take the scoring load off of his shoulders.

Evaluating the Deal

At first glance, it might seem like the Bruins gave up a lot, but I don’t see it that way.  Let’s look at the draft picks first.  The 2018 1st is okay to move because the Bruins prospect pool is quite deep.  With guys like Bergeron, Rask, and Chara having insane years, the Bruins management needed to compliment this team the way they see fit and go after the Stanley Cup this season.  The 2019 7th is a throw-in and should serve no real impact on this deal.

Ryan Spooner

Onto Ryan Spooner, possibly the biggest Bruins piece to the deal, the man who Nash is replacing.  I believe that team chemistry is an important factor to this team, and any deal would complicate that.  But I think Don Sweeney and Cam Neely have navigated it well.  As mentioned earlier, if Spooner wasn’t part of the deal I don’t see where he fits when Nash comes in.

The Bruins don’t want to disrupt the current chemistry of the third line, and Spooner is not a fourth line player.  With Nash’s arrival Spooner is the odd man out.  After an up and down career with the Bruins, he was enjoying his best season in Boston playing on Krejci’s wing.

Boston Bruins
NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 11: Ryan Spooner /

There will be some who didn’t want to trade Spooner, but I think guys like Heinen and DeBrusk have passed him and guys on the way like Ryan Donato, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Anders Bjork,  and Trent Frederic could pass him on the depth chart very soon.  Spooner’s time in Boston just came up and while he has some nice offensive upside, I think the Bruins have better long term options than Spooner that will be here sooner rather than later.

Matt Beleskey and Beyond

Matt Beleskey had a very tough time in Boston, and was included in the deal for cap implications.  The burly forward currently in Providence didn’t have a place in Boston anymore and the Bruins finally got half his contract off the books and got more cap space in the end.

Ryan Lindgren, the 6′ foot, left shot defensman currently playing at the University of Minnesota is the final piece in the deal.  The Bruins second round selection in the 2016 Draft is more a defensive-defensman and does not get many points.  He has 7 points at Minnesota right now and with names like Jakub Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon and Urho Vaakanainen still in the prospect pool the team depth is still in good position.

Next: Bruins trade Vatrano to Florida

Overall I like this deal for the Bruins.  They upgrade on Krejci’s wing without giving up any of their elite prospects.  The Bruins are actual Stanley Cup contenders and the Rick Nash deal shows that this team is all in.

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