Shacks’ Take – Is Nash Coming to Vancouver?

Rumor has it the missing piece to Vancouver’s cup quest is on his way to town.

The Canucks have needed a big strong winger with attitude since the day Big Bert buried Steve Moore into the GM Place ice.  Now Rick Nash finally wants to play for a competitive franchise and Vancouver is one of the few teams he is willing to waive his no movement clause. 

Considering Vancouver has the assets to make the move and a glaring need for a player of Nash’s ilk, the trade seems a logical last step before the Canucks can start planning the parade route.

Fans of the team may want to hold off before they head to the airport with their welcome baskets because Nash’s plane is likely touching down at a different destination.

In terms of trade assets that fit with Columbus’ desire for young talent and the Canucks’ desire to shed salary to fit Nash, I believe there is enough common ground to get this one done.   Any swap would likely include Ballard, Raymond and Hodgson with Schneider.  Excluding Schneids’ contract, that’s $8.4 mil in contracts coming back the other way. 

Columbus can do what they want with Ballard and his contract, but that’s four above average NHLers in the package and we haven’t included any draft picks or prospects yet.

So if Vancouver has the package of players and prospects to make the deal work for both sides and they also have the need for a big power forward like a White Spot burger needs Triple-O sauce, why is this trade so unlikely to happen?

Unfortunately for Canuck fan’s Nash’s $7.8 mil contract fits in the Vancouver dressing room like Christina Aguilera fits in her outfit from her  ‘Fighter’ video.

Mike Gillis has done as good a job as any GM in the league of convincing the core of the team to take pay cuts from what they would make on the open market.  Even Dan Hamhuis came here as a free agent and took a pay cut to be a part of what the Canucks are building. 

If Gillis trades for Nash, Vancouver had better win the cup this year because his contract will quickly put an end to the hometown discount.  One bad apple may spoil the whole bunch and one bad contract will do the same for this group. Gillis will never be able to convince another player to take a discount when Nash is making $7.8 mil/year.  

You can also forget about re-signing Kesler or the Sedins when their contracts are up. They rightfully would think they are the equals of Nash so why shouldn’t they be paid as such?  How about Burrows and Edler who come up next year?  Burrows gave Vancouver the best deal in hockey the last time around, would he be so willing this time around?  There’s no way he’s going to take a cut like that once Gillis opens Pandora’s box and shows he willing to make an exception on the teams salary structure.    

Even worse is the potential discourse this could cause within the dressing room.  The Sedins, at $6.1 each, are the ultimate professionals but you couldn’t blame them for being more than a little peeved that Canuck management is willing to pay almost $8 million for a player who’s done nothing for the franchise, while the players that have bled Orca blue are required to give the team a deal in order to stay.  How do you think Kesler, who’s making $5 million a year, is going to like that slap in the face?  I’d say he would think that’s a bitter pill to swallow considering how much he’s given to the organization.

Rick Nash may be exactly what the Canucks need in terms of talent to push them over the top; unfortunately he’s also the exact thing that could blow this whole thing up.  Given how much work it’s taken to get all the current players to buy into their team vision, I’m betting Mike Gillis isn’t willing to blow that good will on one player no matter how much his talent fits.