New York Rangers request Rick Nash’s no-trade list, per report

The New York Rangers are preparing for the trade deadline. On Monday, Bob McKenzie reported that the Rangers had asked for Rick Nash’s 18-team no-trade list, and that the veteran forward has given the list to the team.

Thanks to this agreement, the Rangers have permission to send Nash to one of 12 NHL teams should they find a suitable trade partner before the deadline at the end of this month.

The Rangers is reportedly coming into the trade deadline as a seller this season. Though New York is currently not in a playoff spot, the Rangers are two points out of a wild card position behind their Metropolitan rivals from Philadelphia. Nash was among the names listed as potential trade targets, alongside forwards Michael Grabner and David Desharnais, and defenseman Nick Holden.

This season, Nash has posted 25 total points for the Rangers in 52 games played. Though Nash is tied for second on the team with his 15 goals with Mika Zibanejad, the forward’s play has not been up to par with what the team would have liked to see. In his last 20 games, Nash has just eight points after having a hot run in November.

While his point totals may not be much to look at, the 33-year-old right winger would bring a veteran presence to any lineup. Nash still can produce in a bottom-six role for a competing team, which is likely where he will end up if traded thanks to his modified 18-team no-trade clause.

The NHL’s no-trade clauses are often built into a player’s contract to give them more stability over their careers. Players with this clause each have a list of teams they do not want to be traded to, so teams have to request players’ lists and follow them should they want to trade them.

Nash is in the final year of an eight-year, $62.4 million deal originally signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2009. In the summer of 2012, the Rangers traded for Nash in a seven-player deal that sent key assets in Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov to Columbus. Nash’s cap hit comes out to $7.8 million in the final year of his contract, making him a hefty price to pay even though the team would not be charged the full amount thanks to the in-season trade rules.

The Rangers are in need of a shakeup somewhere in the lineup, as the team has only gone backwards since making the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. Moving Nash likely frees them up from trading important pieces like Mats Zuccarello or Mika Zibanejad that would be a bigger hit to the team’s composition. While the Rangers have standout goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and young players like Pavel Buchnevich and Brady Skjei, the team is without a central cornerstone piece to make that last big push for a Stanley Cup.