If only it weren’t the Detroit Red Wings. Any other team and the Rick Nash trade saga could be over by now.
A source tells mlive.com that the Wings made “a hell of an offer” for the Blue Jackets’ captain, and got crickets in response.
No counteroffer, no back and forth negotiation, nothing.
It is clear Columbus has no intention of trading the face of its franchise to the team it considers to be its top rival, a Detroit club that has dominated the Blue Jackets since they entered the NHL in 2000-01.
The last thing Columbus general manager Scott Howson wants to see is Nash being paired with Pavel Datsyuk and his Blue Jackets having to deal with that scenario six times a season.
It wasn’t reported what exactly the “hell of an offer” was, so we don’t even know if Howson would’ve accepted. If the source is within the Wings’ organization, they aren’t going to say it was a so-so offer, are they?
Anyway, Detroit is one of the few teams on Nash’s approved list. The others are reportedly Philadelphia, New York (Rangers), Pittsburgh, Boston and San Jose.
Be nice if one of them made a hell of an offer soon.
