Did Somebody Say “Rick Nash?”

image from www.nhlsnipers.com

I honestly think this would kill Jeff Carter. That’s not hyperbole– like, dead. Finished. The end… for Jeff to see his new teammate get traded to the Flyers, the team that still makes him sad.

According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Flyers, Rangers and Kings are all potential suitors for Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash, who has 18 goals and 21 assists in 56 games thus far this season: [ESPN.com]

The Rangers, Kings and Philadelphia Flyers would make sense to me, although the math would be really tight in New York given the money already tied up in Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist. But no doubt Nash represents just what the Blueshirts need. And there are always ways to get creative cap-wise. The Rangers have some young pieces (led by Chris Kreider) that might entice the Jackets. Howson, after all, took in the Rangers-Flyers game over the weekend. 

Which brings me to the Flyers, whom I believe also have interest in Nash and certainly have the young pieces to get involved (Brayden Schenn, James Van Riemsdyk or Sean Couturier, etc). Can you imagine Rick Nash on a line with Claude Giroux?

 

Yes I can, Pierre.  

But the rumors didn’t stop there. Earlier, Boston Globe writer Kevin Paul Dupont (that’s soo pretentious) threw some shit at this wall:

Screen Shot 2012-02-14 at 2.11.39 PM

Here’s my thought on all this: GET A DEFENSEMAN!!!

The Flyers don’t need any more scoring– they are third in the NHL with 182 goals. What they need is defense or a better goalie, or perhaps some unknown hybrid of the two– THEY ARE 25TH IN GOALS AGAINST, 169. Does it sound like I’m shouting? Because I’m shouting.

To be fair, most of this is conjecture on the part of hockey columnists, and the last time we used a naming convention like we did in the title here (Did Somebody Say Stamkos?), it didn’t exactly come to fruition. But, for two years there was Jeff Carter-Blue Jackets smoke, and the fire eventually followed. So the above is certainly worth mentioning.

For all your shit-chasing, stop over to BuzzOnBroad.com, where we have Number Two plugged into the rumor machine.

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71 Responses

  1. If Nash is available they need to add him. Cooter, JVR, MAB or Read, two 1st rounders for Nash & Wisniewski.

  2. While hockey isn’t the sport of choice here in da ‘hood where I live, even a clueless knucklehead like me can see that the Flyers desperately need help on the blue line as we already have enough scorers. If Homer’s half-assed strategy is to bring in a sniper while ignoring the all-too obvious demand for a defenseman, then it’s going to fail, and fail big.

  3. This would be absolutely retarded. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to look at the picture Kyle made for us the other day.

  4. phillyflash.. i think the 3 way trade would bring us luke schenn from toronto or another blueliner somehow.. i dont think a sniper is what homer’s lookin for

  5. keep the young bulls, sign a defenseman (Webber) next offseason. this clearly isn’t our year.

  6. Hal Gill. HAL GILL. He’s a solid shot-blocking defenseman who’s won the Cup. Also a veteran presence. He’ll be a UFA this summer and I’m damn sure Montreal’s not looking to resign him. Go get him, Homer.

  7. Don’t give up Couturier. Getting a D-man doesn’t make this team better than NYR or Boston, just let this young core be for now. This is partially a rebuilding year and they’ve already exceeded expectations.
    Luke Schenn is OVER RATED. Seriously people. He’s the JVR of young d-men. He’s having a terrible year and he’s not worth it.
    I like the Hal Gill idea. He’ll be very cheap and can get this defense to at least not suck, however I doubt he could put them over the top.
    Going for Weber or Suter can obviously help this team, but at what cost? This really isn’t our year. Let Carle walk in the off-season, maybe try to move Coburn, then fix the defense this off-season without giving up good young players for an extra few playoff wins.
    Nash is a great player but the Flyers don’t need him.

  8. Hal Gill is really good…at being a turnstyle on the ice. We’re not a contender this year and acquiring him for anything more than a late round pick or a scrub from Adirondack, is pointless. He’s not the missing piece.

  9. ***k New York and they salary cap bulls*it. They will work the system until the end of time. ahhh Yankees!

  10. They better get Suter if they trade Bob. Why can’t they fucking trade Bryz and his HUMANGOUS contract.

  11. The only missing piece on this team is chemistry. It would be a complete waste to trade for Ryan Suter. His contract is up after this year and the chances of him resigning here are probably low due to cap space. Nash also will not fit, the Flyers can acquire $4.3 million in player salary before the deadline. Nash’s hit is $7.2 million, so you would need to get rid of at least $3million and then find a way to keep him next year. Bob’s cap hit would only take off $1mil and JVR’s would only take off $1.6 mil. It really wouldn’t make sense to get Rick Nash, you’d be giving up too much youth. The Flyers have a good future. Remember how many rookies this team has, and how many new pieces have to mesh. JVR, Read, Simmonds, Coturier, Schenn, Giroux, and Voracek are all below 25 years old, with 5 of them below 23 years old, just be patient, they will be VERY good in years to come.

  12. We dont need nash. Coots schenn (brayden) and read should be untouchable. I like the idea of going after schenn/weber/suter and using JVR Bob and Carle as the bait. For those who say schenn (luke) sucks…youre all idiots. hes only 22 years old and already in his 4th nhl season. and for the first time hes having a down year. it happens. the flyers have the depth to make up for jvr but we dont have the defense. besides its been proven time and again that brothers play better together. sounds like luke may need a change of scenery. imagine how dominat our pp would be with luke on the point feeding brayden down low with slap passes, one timers, etc not to mention the instant chemistry. hes got all the tools to develop into a niklas kronwall type player – average size, very physical, solid in his own zone, strong on the puck, can skate well, and is not a liability on either end of he ice. add that to his rocket shot from the point and youve got a pretty good deal there. we dont need our 1st rounder this year weve got enough youth for the next 5 years it wouldnt be a loss. jvr bob carle and 1st for weber/suter. or jvr carle and a 2nd for schenn and maybe either a pick or dare i say nazem kadri? they would be awesome deals

  13. Mike-
    If you trade for a player now, it’s only pro-rated to the end of the year. So Nash’s $7.2 would actually be closer to $3M for the Flyer’s purposes this year. With Pronger’s pro-rated salary off the books, include Bob and JvR and it could be done. Not saying it SHOULD be done (though if you can get Rick Nash, you do it. He’s a top-10 player in this league. He and Giroux would be just nasty), but that it COULD.
    You say you have to find a way to fit Nash next year. Well, JvR’s cap hit is going above $4M next year with the new contract. So if you traded him and had Pronger’s full $4.2M hit on LTIR next year, there’s your money for Nash next year.
    Again, we can debate whether it would be the right thing to do for the team. But the Flyers can absolutely make the money work, that’s not the issue.

  14. Flyers need defense and this wouldn’t help as he is a -20+ for the season. Even though it’s Columbus and they stink, that’s still not good.

  15. Great points by all…
    I love that Kyle finally is on the “We need D help” bandwagon now that Bob is starting games and still losing. Rather than the “Everything is Bryz fault” bandwagon.
    MY point about Luke Schenn…if hes having a bad year then we can get him for less. Low risk high reward. With how poor hes playing I doubt we would have to send too much to Toronto.
    Hal Gill is old and slow…um…so is Pronger. Pronger just plays smart and protects the net better than anyone else. Gill can do the same (obviously not as well) but his presence could really help.
    Right now no team is scared to get in front of our goalie and nobody on our team is tough enough to do anything about it. Our D men are weak.
    I dont think the Flyers need a big name like Suter or Weber. They need a big tough guy to protect the net and clear the porch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Flyers make a trade for some big veteran D guys or 1-2 D guys that will make Flyers fans say “Who?”. This way they can preserve the youth on the team and not sell the future for some rental players.

  16. I appreciate Chirp’s posts. I don’t feel dumber after having read them.
    Can’t say the same for some other people who only belittle other posts whilst offering nothing quality of their own.

  17. do people jsut assume that becuase they are the flyers they are in on every big name trade target or free agent? reality folks, they are up against the cap

  18. We can’t get rid of Bryz because of his NTC and NMC. You should know that by now.
    I’m not thrilled with the idea of Hal Gill, but if all it takes is a 2nd or 3rd rounder I wouldn’t be upset.
    For those of you dissing Luke Schenn, he’s still only 22. D men take a while to develop.

  19. Thanks JT
    apparently understanding the sport, and making points about my arguments is intimidating to the “typical” Flyers fan…oh well…
    @paradedownbroad…my point exactly. Think Schenn is low risk and Gill while not the greatest will have something to fill a void on the Flyers blue line.

  20. Luke Schenn & JVR are pretty much the same player at different positions. They’re both 22 year olds who have shown a lot of potential, but their balls have yet to drop. A straight up trade of those 2 makes the most sense as it would help both teams at a position of need. Anyone who says otherwise owns a JVR jersey.

  21. I don’t really know from Luke Schenn, but I know that he’s considered a joke by Leafs fans.

  22. Look folks, we don’t need more defensemen, we need our forwards to stop playin tired/lazy, and our current d-men to stop backing into the zone. It’s fundamentals, but some of it is rookies and Jagr hitting a wall and injuries taking a toll. This team isn’t likely to win it all this yr, so back off and be ready to sign a replacement for Pronger next year.

  23. Kyle, seriously dude, stop calling him “Number Two.” It sounds like you’re talking about your own bowel movements.

  24. Does anyone else notice that Chirp’s posts are longer than Iron Balls’ posts used to be? Ole Chirp my boy, you need a life. You don’t know $hit about hockey… probably never played the game.
    My favorite Chirp line is:
    “Great points by all…”
    Dude, how do you know its a good point? Like I said, you know nothing about the game!! The Flyers need offense. To win, you gotta score more than the other team. Get Nash and get Stamkos, and get them now!!

  25. @Chirp
    What is your obsession with Bryz. I played the position at a high level and frankly in my opinion he doesn’t have what it takes. You are clueless and probably don’t even know what an icing is.
    Guy seriously compared Hal Gill to Chris Pronger. Moron

  26. The Flyers need to stop playing fantasy hockey and letthe young kids develop. They take winning now to an extreme that results in winning never.

  27. Flyers could definitely afford Nash, Webber and Sutter. They are spending so much money opening that new bar in south Philly. There is no salary cap in hockey so why are they being so cheap? They always bought players in the past.

  28. Mr. Snider is printing $$ over at Philly live. They def can afford at least webber & Nash. Make it happen Eddie

  29. Bryz is having an off year. Yap about all the intangibles you idiots want to, “he can’t handle the media, he’s too sensitive”. he’ll probably be fine next year. Ryan Miller and Luongo are having off years too.

  30. @fresh right on. Think they have these same talks in Buffalo and Vancouver?
    @Rob House where did you play? I been playing goalie for about 20 years now. B, A, AA, AAA, High School, College. No obsession with Bryz just pointing out its not the goaltending that is the issue and anyone with any knowledge of the sport wouldn’t need that pointed out to them.
    “Dude, how do you know its a good point? Like I said, you know nothing about the game!! The Flyers need offense. To win, you gotta score more than the other team. Get Nash and get Stamkos, and get them now!!”
    LOL Flyers are the what third highest scoring team in the NHL…yea clearly I am the one that doesnt know hockey…you idiot lol. Boston didnt have a guy in the top like 20 in scoring last season and won the cup…
    Offense wins games, defense wins championships…
    Try keeping up folks…I know it pisses you off knowing I am right…

  31. PS compared the style at which Gill and Pronger play. Never compared the skill set. Actually I even said Gill cant do it as well as pronger.
    They are both big and physical that was the only comparison…
    Learn to comprehend…

  32. Saying Nash is “already elite when on a good team” is silly since he has never been on a good team. Nash is a streaky guy who has a ton of talent but he hasn’t shown actually elite-ness for any considerable length of time. Yeah, he’s been saddled with a crap team, but he’s had one season with over 70 points. And how many of these guys who people say are being held back by their team have actually gone to a good team and just instantly turned elite? People expected that from Bouwmeester and Horton and Zherdev and a whole bunch of other players but I’ve never actually seen it happen.

  33. @Chirp,
    Last time I checked, to win a hockey game, you need to score more goals than whoever your playing against. That’s OFFENSE, not defense. You are clueless about the game. If the Flyers got Nash and Stamkos, they’d win Lord Stanley’s Cup.
    Trade JVR for Nash and trade Read for Stamkos and we win for years to come. Maybe even throw Schenn or Weber or Suter.
    Let’s go all in now!!
    Go Flyers.

  34. Name a Rangers “stud” defenseman? Does Boston have one besides Chara? The Flyers had a shitty weekend because they didn’t kill penalties and they didn’t score on the power play, bottom line. If they have an opportunity to get a Rick Nash they should go for it because what wins cups is balanced consistent scoring, special teams and slightly above average d-zone coverage by FORWARDS. With the exception of JVR one up for Schenn, why would you move any of these other young guys for what is legitimately available at D this year? We knew when they broke this thing up it would take a few years to be a contender. I’m still ok with that.

  35. @Barry Melrose’s Hair
    Why would Columbus take JVR for Nash?
    And why would TB take READ for fucking STAMKOS? Was your mother on crack?! Read is 3 years OLDER than Stamkos. Go watch another sport because you clearly know nothing about hockey, maybe women’s volleyball is more your speed.

  36. @Barry LOL…its amazing how dumb you are and think you know something about a sport you clearly dont.
    “Last time I checked, to win a hockey game, you need to score more goals than whoever your playing against. That’s OFFENSE, not defense. You are clueless about the game. If the Flyers got Nash and Stamkos, they’d win Lord Stanley’s Cup.”
    HAHAHAHAHAHA…Last time I checked if you KEEP THE PUCK OUT OF YOUR NET you can win a game too. The Flyers are the third highest scoring team in the league. Even if they were #1 in the league they still need to keep the puck out of their net to win…are you really that stupid? My god, no wonder philly gets a bad rep all the time because of idiots like you.
    DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS…Boston beat the #1 scoring team in the NHL last year because they play a DEFENSIVE system. Pitt won the cup because Orpik, Eaton, and Fleury played lights out. Detriot won the cup because Rafalski, Lidtsrom, Schnedier. Anaheim won the cup because of GIGUERE and PRONGER. Carolina won a cup because of Ward, Commodore and a D core!!!
    Shall I go on? When playoffs come around games are tighter and usually lower scoring.
    Barry go back to your Xbox and make all your crazy trades and completely ignore a D squad…you my friend are a moron…
    @MM you dont have to have a stud D man with a big name to be a good D team. You need a team that plays a defensive system. Boston and NY play a D system from the forwards back. They didnt have a guy in the top 25 in scoring last season…they didnt need too!

  37. I’m with everyone that says not to do anything drastic. By “drastic”, I mean trading Read, Schenn, or Couturier. (I’m okay with letting JVR go.) I see very little chance the Flyers will win the Cup this year, so let the young guys ride it out and get some real experience. As long as the Flyers improve the D over the offseason, I’ll really be looking forward to next year. For a change, they have a lot of young talent that they should let develop.

  38. @chirp….
    Are you serious? First of all, I don’t have Xbox. I have PS3.
    Also, if the Flyers were the top scoring team, don’t you think they’d always have more goals than everyone else.
    They would win it if they scored the most goals. Simple math. What don’t you get about that. Based on your posting times, you must be in grade school and only post during recess.
    And, TB would be dumb not to take Read for stamkos. Read is a rookie. Stamkos is in like his 5th or 6th year. Read has more years of play left.

  39. @Chirp, i know dude, that’s my point, you don’t need 18 to 24 minutes of good play from one D-man, you need 60 from all 6 guys on the ice and the ability to pounce in transition. The Blackhawks didn’t have one when they beat the flyers, they out played the flyers line for line. keep building up the young guns it’s a league built and refereed for offense.

  40. what exactly is JVR’s trade value? concussion and/or hip issues cant help, not to mention he wasn’t playing too great to begin with. Would a team want to take on his 6 yr/25.5mm?

  41. @barry…
    This is going to hurt…
    Stamkos is 22 years old Matt Read is 25.
    Yet I am the idiot who knows nothing about hockey.
    TB would be stupid not to trade away a 22 year old in his 4th full year for an older guy with not even a full year under his belt…
    Yikes…foot in mouth…

  42. Lets face it, we’re not winning the cup this year no matter who we get. So lets not trade all our talent away for rental players. If you can Get Schenn L.get him. But don’t trade away all our youth chasing a prize that we can’t reach yet. Wait for the off season, assess Pronger, and if need be sign Weber. IF we make the playoffs, it will give all the rookies the experience they need for next season.

  43. @Chirp,
    I happened to start at the collegiate level, thank you very much.
    Your posts are brutal, nothing worse than a guy who thinks he knows everything, when he is absolutely clueless.

  44. Who is this bozo named Chirp? What a zero. Has no clue. Go out and get Suter and Weber and win a cup. Ship both Coburn and Bordone to Nashville.

  45. Add Nick Lidstrom to my wish list… he’s a proven winner and probably wouldn’t take much to get him. 3rd rounder maybe?

  46. @most…your right on. They are not a cup team this year…can they win it sure but its not worth throwing away the future for a very very slim shot this season.
    @rob Never said i knew everything…just know enough. try me. What do you suggest we do? Bryz isnt proven but you know his carrer numbers are very close to Tim Thomas right? Lundquist, Kipprusoff, Miller, Vokoun, and Louongo dont have cups…do they not have what it takes?

  47. Bottom line in all this, we need Nash and his offense. If we can’t get Stamkos too, I guess Nash will do. And it would help if whatever Russian team Bryz played on last year would take him back. It’s just the flyers luck that we bring a goalie like Bryz over from Russia and he can’t play in the NHL, although he had good numbers probably in the KHL.

  48. Career numbers? Really with that. Anyone can make numbers fit their argument. Tim Thomas wasn’t even good until later in his career.
    Bryz played in garbage Phoenix whose current goalie is doing the same as Bryz last year. All I care about is this year and Bryz is worse then BOB who plays with the same Defense
    Vokoun stinks, clown.
    So you have compared Hal Gil to Chris Pronger and now Bryz to Lundquist, Miller and Thomas. WOW. Moron.
    House 1 Chirp 0

  49. Bryz – 19-11-6, 2.78 GAA, .900 sv%
    Bob – 12-7-1, 2.90 GAA, .902 sv%
    Who is the better goalie? Give Bob the same amount of starts as Bryz and I bet his numbers are much worse. Why? Because hes a backup playing with a crappy D core compared to a #1 goalie playing in front of a crappy D core. Chirp 1- House 1
    Bryz can be better I cannot argue that. We should expect more out of him but he is not getting any help from his D.
    Phoenix plays a defensive system. Aucoin, Rozisval Morris, Yandle, Klesla, Larsson are all solid D guys. Morris and Aucoin are big and clear the front of the net. Who does that for Philly? Chirp 2 – House 1
    So because vokoun is having one bad year your not going to credit anything he did in his career? 672 NHL games .917 and 2.55 in his career when he played for Nashville team before weber and suter and then a crappy Florida team…But your not okay that I compared Bryz and Thomas numbers because Thomas didnt get good till later? Chirp 3 – House 1
    Where did you go to school? They should be ashamed. Once again I will draw it out for you. Gill and Pronger are big guys that clear the front of the net. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE SAME SKILL SET. That was the only comparison I made. The point is we need a big guy to clear the net because we lost the guy that does that for us. Chirp 4 House 1
    Once again…I did not compare Bryz to those goalies, I said if you put those goalies in net for us our record would be ABOUT the same because our defense is what is losing games for us not the goaltending. Chirp 5 House 1
    Game over. Come back when you can actually keep up and read.
    @ Barry, Bryz has been in the NHL since 01-02. I feel like your just playing stupid now and you already know this…

  50. @ Chirp
    I honestly don’t even know where to start with you
    1) First you ask what level of competitive hockey I played, then you ask where I went to school, what is next where I live? You sound more and more like a pedophile each day
    2) Your not a scorekeeper
    3) You have basically stated that the only reason Bryz appeared to be good in the past is because of the defensive system in front of him and not because of skill.
    4) The most outlandish statement that you have made to date is that you believe the Flyers would have the same record with Lundquist in net. Please refrain from watching the game. You don’t understand the game and you are absolutely clueless. It is people like you that make Philly have a bad reputation.
    House 2 Chirp -1

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