Post by swervinmervin on Jul 28, 2012 10:39:00 GMT -5
www.bluejacketsxtra.com/content/stories/2012/07/26/blame-goes-to-both-nash-blue-jackets.html
Michael Arace commentary: Blame goes to both Nash, Blue Jackets
By Michael Arace
The Columbus Dispatch THURSDAY JULY 26, 2012 4:23 AM
Rick Nash signed an eight-year contract extension worth $62.4 million in July 2009. The Blue Jackets proffered the deal, and Nash accepted, on the premise that he was the cornerstone of the franchise and his very presence was a sign of major-league aspiration. It was a commitment for both parties.
Nash was traded to the New York Rangers three days ago. The commitment was broken. We still do not know how or why, not exactly.
The way Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline pieced it together, the Jackets dangled Nash in January to gauge the market. Nash caught wind of it — how could he not? — had a face-to-face with team brass and was told the team was rebuilding. He asked to be traded, you know, for the good of the franchise. This was in January.
General manager Scott Howson said the Jackets were not rebuilding, they were “reshaping.” Howson made it clear that Nash was being traded because Nash asked to be traded.
The verbal gymnastics throughout this ordeal have not only exacerbated a bad situation, they have been an insult to the astute Jackets fans. Where is the truth?
Here is some plain talk: If Nash’s monster contract was a two-way commitment, it was broken on both ends.
Nash was led to believe that the franchise would win. The Jackets in three years went from a playoff team to the worst team in the league and failed on their end of the bargain. How bad is the situation when Rick Nash begs out of Columbus?
As for Nash, while there is no doubt he cares about the city and the Jackets, his trade request was not grounded on self-sacrifice. He was the team captain and he bailed. That should not be forgotten. He is not Adam Foote, but he played the same game.
Nash was finally dealt to the Rangers for center Brandon Dubinsky, center/winger Artem Anisimov, prospect defenseman Tim Erixon and a first-round draft pick. The initial reaction was that Howson got fleeced. I would not go that far.
Yes, the Rangers got the best player in the deal without disrupting the core of a Stanley Cup contender, and they made the salary-cap exchange a wash. It looks good on their side, but it is not an unmitigated disaster for the Blue Jackets.
Dubinsky is a meaner version of R.J. Umberger and, like Umberger, a heart-and-soul player. Anisimov you might think of as something like Alexander Svitov — hulking, rangy and skilled, albeit not as nasty. Neither Dubinsky nor Anisimov will score 30 goals — probably not even 25 — but they strengthen the forward corps in general and the middle of the ice in particular.
Erixon might have been the Rangers’ top prospect, even including Chris Kreider. When Erixon was finally included in the deal, it was done, posthaste. He joins a cadre of prospects that includes John Moore and Ryan Murray. As for the first-round draft pick, it is one of three the Jackets will have next year, when a strong class is anticipated.
Not bad considering Howson had no leverage. The market stalled, Nash remained inflexible regarding his no-trade clause and, in the end, the Rangers were the only team remotely interested in taking a $7.8 million cap hit.
There are those who speculate that the Jackets could have hung on to Nash. But that would have required some backbone on the part of the organization to weather a public-relations nightmare, and it has shown little of that kind of mettle. My feeling is, when the captain wants out, get rid of him.
Nash landed in a prime spot. He has shucked the yoke of leadership and joined a contender as a tertiary contributor. He might wind up alongside Brad Richards, one of the game’s premier playmakers.
Nash might just score 50 goals. If he does, it will be a condemnation of Jackets management for never giving him enough in Columbus, and for even thinking of trading him.
On the Jackets’ end, one has to wonder whether Dubinsky can transit from a contender and buy into a “reshaping” project. Is this another Jeff Carter situation? What about Anisimov? Does he want to play here?
These questions crop up when the cornerstone is gone, and the commitment with him.
Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.
marace@dispatch.com
@michaelarace1
Michael Arace commentary: Blame goes to both Nash, Blue Jackets
By Michael Arace
The Columbus Dispatch THURSDAY JULY 26, 2012 4:23 AM
Rick Nash signed an eight-year contract extension worth $62.4 million in July 2009. The Blue Jackets proffered the deal, and Nash accepted, on the premise that he was the cornerstone of the franchise and his very presence was a sign of major-league aspiration. It was a commitment for both parties.
Nash was traded to the New York Rangers three days ago. The commitment was broken. We still do not know how or why, not exactly.
The way Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline pieced it together, the Jackets dangled Nash in January to gauge the market. Nash caught wind of it — how could he not? — had a face-to-face with team brass and was told the team was rebuilding. He asked to be traded, you know, for the good of the franchise. This was in January.
General manager Scott Howson said the Jackets were not rebuilding, they were “reshaping.” Howson made it clear that Nash was being traded because Nash asked to be traded.
The verbal gymnastics throughout this ordeal have not only exacerbated a bad situation, they have been an insult to the astute Jackets fans. Where is the truth?
Here is some plain talk: If Nash’s monster contract was a two-way commitment, it was broken on both ends.
Nash was led to believe that the franchise would win. The Jackets in three years went from a playoff team to the worst team in the league and failed on their end of the bargain. How bad is the situation when Rick Nash begs out of Columbus?
As for Nash, while there is no doubt he cares about the city and the Jackets, his trade request was not grounded on self-sacrifice. He was the team captain and he bailed. That should not be forgotten. He is not Adam Foote, but he played the same game.
Nash was finally dealt to the Rangers for center Brandon Dubinsky, center/winger Artem Anisimov, prospect defenseman Tim Erixon and a first-round draft pick. The initial reaction was that Howson got fleeced. I would not go that far.
Yes, the Rangers got the best player in the deal without disrupting the core of a Stanley Cup contender, and they made the salary-cap exchange a wash. It looks good on their side, but it is not an unmitigated disaster for the Blue Jackets.
Dubinsky is a meaner version of R.J. Umberger and, like Umberger, a heart-and-soul player. Anisimov you might think of as something like Alexander Svitov — hulking, rangy and skilled, albeit not as nasty. Neither Dubinsky nor Anisimov will score 30 goals — probably not even 25 — but they strengthen the forward corps in general and the middle of the ice in particular.
Erixon might have been the Rangers’ top prospect, even including Chris Kreider. When Erixon was finally included in the deal, it was done, posthaste. He joins a cadre of prospects that includes John Moore and Ryan Murray. As for the first-round draft pick, it is one of three the Jackets will have next year, when a strong class is anticipated.
Not bad considering Howson had no leverage. The market stalled, Nash remained inflexible regarding his no-trade clause and, in the end, the Rangers were the only team remotely interested in taking a $7.8 million cap hit.
There are those who speculate that the Jackets could have hung on to Nash. But that would have required some backbone on the part of the organization to weather a public-relations nightmare, and it has shown little of that kind of mettle. My feeling is, when the captain wants out, get rid of him.
Nash landed in a prime spot. He has shucked the yoke of leadership and joined a contender as a tertiary contributor. He might wind up alongside Brad Richards, one of the game’s premier playmakers.
Nash might just score 50 goals. If he does, it will be a condemnation of Jackets management for never giving him enough in Columbus, and for even thinking of trading him.
On the Jackets’ end, one has to wonder whether Dubinsky can transit from a contender and buy into a “reshaping” project. Is this another Jeff Carter situation? What about Anisimov? Does he want to play here?
These questions crop up when the cornerstone is gone, and the commitment with him.
Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.
marace@dispatch.com
@michaelarace1