The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking for a landing spot for Jack Johnson, after he requested a trade earlier this season and wants a chance to play a bigger role somewhere before hitting free agency. In tonight’s edition of Insider Trading on TSN with panel members Pierre LeBrun, Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie, they discuss where Johnson could land.
LeBrun even reports that Columbus is “comfortable they can go out and get a low first-round draft pick,” but that they’d still rather get a forward back for a playoff run of their own. That at least seems to increase the likelihood of Johnson being dealt by the deadline, as even a late first is very valuable for clubs on draft day.
- Rick Nash is clearly on the market, now that the New York Rangers have effectively signaled a rebuild and asked for his no-trade list. Dreger lists the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars as the top two contenders for Nash, but that as many as ten teams have been in contact with his representatives. Nash is likely going to be one of the top prizes on deadline day, if he even lasts the next few weeks.
- McKenzie chimes in with some news on Mike Green of the Detroit Red Wings, once again linking him to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are after a defenseman for their Stanley Cup run, but McKenzie reports that the Red Wings are after a return somewhere between the one they received for Brendan Smith last season (2018 second-round pick, 2017 third-round pick) and the one St. Louis received for Kevin Shattenkirk (effectively 2017 first-round pick, prospect Zach Sanford). Whether Tampa Bay wants to pay that much is unclear, but they do have quite the prospect pipeline already built up if they do start to sacrifice futures.
“LeBrun even reports that Columbus is “comfortable they can go out and get a low first-round draft pick,””
Meaning the Jackets are “comfortable” they can “go out” (of the playoff hunt) “and get a low first-round draft pick” in the lottery, right?
There is no chance they are actually claiming that some other team is insane or stupid enough to trade a first for Jack Johnson, right? That’s like saying you are going to trade your old toaster for the Eiffel Tower.
All it takes is one GM who is willing to give up a late first rounder & there always seems to be at least one GM who trades a 1st round pick for a player that many would consider not be worthy of such a return.
Jack Johnson is old, a pending UFA, has a big cap hit, isn’t very good anymore and has asked for a trade hurting their leverage. If they can even get a third or a fourth for him, I’d be impressed.
He’s not that old and they can definitely get a second if they were after a draft pick
Rick Nash has 26 points this season. That is only 3 more points than Riley Nash. Yet, the Rangers want a 1st round pick, a top prospect & another player for him in a trade. How is he worth that? He isn’t. Any team who trades that to the Rangers is crazy.
I’m a Rangers fan and would accept a bag of rocks for him.
I must admit I still don’t see how Rick Nash is going to be one of the deadline’s biggest prizes … has every other team pulled every other player off the market? I like Nash but biggest prize?
I seriously doubt the Rangers get their desired asking price, but probably the reason he is in demand is because of his history and ability to play anywhere in the lineup. While he is realistically not a top line winger anymore, a team can throw him there if that’s where they need help. More likely, he fills in somewhere in a team’s middle six. His defensive game has only gotten better since he has been in New York so he can also play a good amount of time on the PK in addition to playing a bit on a team’s PP2.