NHL Trade Deadline 2012: 15 Trades, None Involving Rick Nash

Those efforts ended up unsuccessful, as Monday’s NHL trade deadline passed without any team giving up what Howson wanted in return for Nash -- the asking price was believed to be an NHL player, a prospect, and a first-round pick. Instead of pretending that he didn’t try to trade Nash, Howson decided to be up front about the situation.

In doing so, Howson presented a bit of news that might prove to be his ticket out of Columbus. The general manager announced -- completely unsolicited -- that it was Nash who went to management and requested they trade him. Howson may have been trying to cast Nash as the bad guy among the Blue Jackets fans, but the reality is that Howson harmed no one but himself with his decision to go public.

For more on the teams involved in the John Scott deal, check out Chicago Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey and New York Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter.

Howson didn’t reveal this in an answer to a question during the press conference. He said it as part of his own remarks, a detail that should not be ignored. In coming out and calculating such an announcement -- an announcement that was completely counter to the conventional wisdom surrounding the entire Rick Nash trade speculation at this deadline -- he’s clearly shifting the focus back on his star player.

Now, as Nash continues the rest of the season with the Blue Jackets, he’ll have to answer questions about wanting out. Howson, meanwhile, can defend his stance of refusing to trade his star player without getting the proper return for him. The general manager mentioned several times that the asking price was extremely high for Nash, adding that it “had to be high.”

Zanon is more of a stay-at-home defender, but has proved adept at blocking shots and making life difficult for opposing players. In 39 games with the Wild this year he 104 blocked shots and delivered 77 hits. A year ago he had 212 blocked shots, which was the second highest total in the NHL. Among players with at least 100 blocked shots this year, none have played in as few games as Zanon. He’s also contributed two goals and four assists.

For more on the Bruins’ trade deadline moves, be sure to check out Stanley Cup Of Chowder.

Hodgson, drafted 10th overall in 2008, made his NHL debut during the 2010-11 season with the Canucks, playing eight games that year. In 2011-12 he’s become an everyday NHLer, scoring 33 points in 66 games. He was named as a rookie selection to the NHL All-Star festivities in January. He’s a clever playmaker and his potential is through the roof.

Sulzer, 27, has played just 12 games in the NHL this season. He’s another depth defenseman who’s strong positionally and can play on the power play.

Rolston, 39, is the biggest piece of this trade. Although the left wing has just four goals and five assists, as well as a -12 rating, he brings a veteran presence and some big-game experience. Oddly, he went unclaimed on waivers over the weekend, only to be had in a trade Monday afternoon.

This will be Rolston’s second stint with the Bruins after having played there for four seasons, starting in 2000-01. He had one of the best years of his career with the Bruins, scoring 31 goals and registering 62 points in the 2001-02 season. He registered at least 48 points in each of his four previous years in Boston.

It was reported earlier in the day that Sabres general manager Darcy Regier had asked for a first-round pick for Gaustad, who’s played in Buffalo since breaking into the league as a regular in 2000. It seemed like a big price tag, but Gaustad immediately brings the Predators an extra weapon at forward. He’s versatile in that he can play any forward position, and winning faceoffs is perhaps his biggest asset. He’s also a power play contributor.

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Oduya earns $3.5 million against the salary cap and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s certainly a stay-at-home defenseman with tremendous skill in his own end, although he shouldn’t be expected to contribute much offensively. He fills a need for the Blackhawks as they make their drive towards the postseason.

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Galiardi and Winnik do bring some scoring touch, although neither can match McGinn’s production this year. Galiardi has eight goals and six assists, while Winnik has five goals and 13 assists. McGinn, 23, has already set career highs in goals (12) and assists (12) and was on his way to posting his first positive +/- rating of his career (+2).

Pahlsson has 11 points in 61 games for the Blue Jackets this season. He’ll instantly provide a boost to the bottom of the Canucks unit of forwards, providing a strong defensive presence. He can play minutes against top competition and should especially help the Canucks with depth come playoff time.

It’s a bit surprising that the Blue Jackets didn’t get more than two draft picks for Pahlsson, considering other teams were reportedly interested in his services. But there’s not much bargaining room when talking about a player on an expiring contract.

Gilroy heads to Ottawa having logged two goals and 15 assists and posting a +2 in 53 games. The Senators are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but have allowed more goals than every team in the East other than the Lightning. In fact, their 192 goals allowed is five more than any other team in playoff position from either conference.

The Lightning are currently six points out of the playoffs and sitting in 11th place. This appears to be a move with the future in mind.

Both players were playing in the AHL at the time of the deal: Aulie with the Toronto Marlies, Ashton with the Norfolk Admirals. Aulie, 22, was drafted by the Leafs in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL draft. He’s a smart defenseman with a bit of NHL experience under his belt, but still has some growing to do, especially when it comes to using his 6’6 frame properly. The Lightning have a need in terms of young defense, so the deal makes sense for them in that regard.

The Maple Leafs get a nice return in Ashton, 20, a winger selected in the first-round of the 2009 NHL draft. He’s stil young, obviously, but there’s a ton of upside there. His biggest assets are his mobility for his size and his ability to play either on side of the ice. He’s scored 35 points in 56 games with Norfolk this season.

Via Reddit:

It’s the only possible explanation. So what if he’s still on their website ...

Both defenseman are 29 years old. Gilbert has two years remaining on his deal at $4 million per season against the salary cap, while Schultz’s contract is the same length but hits the cap at $3.5 million per season.

Gilbert has been one of Edmonton’s top defensemen this season, logging heavy minutes on their No. 1 pairing. Schultz is in the same mold, but they bring different skill sets to the table. Gilbert is more of a puck mover who can chip in offensively, putting up 17 points, thus far, on the year with the Oilers. Schultz is more of a defensive defenseman.

You can get team-by-team coverage of the 2012 NHL trade deadline from around our network of hockey blogs. For more on the news, rumors and speculation surrounding the trade deadline, subscribe to our StoryStream.

For starters, Nash holds a no-movement clause and has to approve any trade. He’s reportedly given Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson a list of teams to which he’d accept a trade, and there’s a strong possibility that Nashville is not on that list. Besides, if Howson were to send Nash to a team in the division, he’d have to face him head-to-head six times a season. That doesn’t seem like a smart move.

That’s just another reason why a Nash trade to Nashville doesn’t make all that sense. (But on the flip side, think of the NASHville puns we’re missing out on. Shame.)

Kostitsyn was asked last week by reporters if he’d be interested in going to reunite with his brother in Nashville. His response might unnerve some Predators fans.

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In exchange for Kostitsyn, the Predators have sent a second-round pick in the 2013 draft, plus the conditional pick they received from Montreal in that Gill trade, according to ESPN.

Kostitsyn has played his entire career to date in Montreal, but he’ll be reunited with brother Sergei in Nashville. The two played together with the Canadiens for three seasons from 2007 to 2010. There have been questions about the motivation level of the Kostitsyn brothers, and Sergei has been a noticeably better player since leaving his brother behind in Montreal.

Gaustad has a lot of strong tools. He’s good in the faceoff circle, he can play any forward position and is good on the defensive side of the puck. But a first-rounder for him? Yeah, that’s asking quite a bit. Via Die By The Blade:

The likelihood of getting the return doesn’t seem all that high, but you can’t blame Darcy Regier for asking.

Not as much as the Islanders are asking, at least.

Parenteau is a nice addition, but to think he’s worth a first-round pick might be a little outrageous. After all, he is still a rental player, and there’s no guarantee that he will continue the same production beyond this season.

Niemi would give Philadelphia some confidence in the crease, presumably, but Holmgren has no choice but to stick with his investment in Bryzgalov.

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The Capitals are in the thick of the Southeast Division race and are undoubtedly the most talented team in the mix there, but they’ve been inconsistent all season long. Perhaps McPhee believes a deadline deal will give them the necessary boost they need to get to the postseason yet again.

You can get team-by-team coverage of the 2012 NHL trade deadline from around our network of hockey blogs. For more on the news, rumors and speculation surrounding the trade deadline, subscribe to our StoryStream.

That’s all changed this season though. Despite the Islanders’ typical position near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Nabokov has stepped in and been a revelation for the club. His attitude is a complete 180 from where he stood just a year ago, and now he’s preparing to re-sign with Garth Snow’s bunch.

As that impacts the deadline, he likely won’t be moved, even though there are multiple teams that are interested in acquiring his services.

It has been widely reported that the Blue Jackets are asking for an NHL player, a top prospect and a first-round draft pick, and the Rangers have been at the forefront of the rumors and speculation that have surrounded the Nash sweepstakes for weeks. It seemed like they were willing to pay for Nash, and there’s always the possibility that they’re simply posturing less than 24 hours before the deadline in hopes that Howson could lower the asking price.

But that doesn’t seem likely, and if the Rangers truly are not involved in the trade talks anymore, the chances grow that Howson could simply hold on to Nash at the deadline.

It might be wise for Gillis to search the market before 3 p.m. ET on Monday to see if he can give that Ballard-less defense a boost. Via the Vancouver Province:

The Canucks are definitely one of those wait-and-see teams. It doesn’t seem like there’s all that much that could happen with them, but they have cap room to play with at this point and as Gillis says, you never know what could happen.