Breaking down the Rick Nash rumor

There have been tweets abound about how Columbus Blue Jackets’ General Manager Scott Howson has been at the past two Rangers games. It has been inferred that the Rangers may be after one of Rick Nash or Jeff Carter. We here have started a series called Breaking Down The Rumor, and these tweets have given us an opportunity to look at both Nash and Carter. In separate posts of course. First, we lead off with Nash. Nash is Columbus’ franchise player, and a great talent. That much we know. What we also know is that Nash is expensive, and not just in what it would cost to acquire him. Nash is making $7.8 million per season (cap hit) until the end of the 2017-2018 season, when he will be 34 years old. Taking a step back, is paying $7.8 million a year for a guy who averages 34 goals a year worth it? Yes, he may have hit 40 goals twice, but he averages 34 goals a year. He has one season where he didn’t crack 30, and is on pace for another this year. Food for thought. Looking at the price to...