Should The Bruins Re-sign Rick Nash?

The Boston Bruins biggest deadline acqusition Rick Nash scored his first goal as a Bruin last night and he also saved a puck off the goal line. Nash is a prototypical power forward with a great shot and a big presence on the ice. He’s looked comfortable on Krejci’s wing and he clearly still has a lot left in the tank, he’s only 33. So should the Bruins explore re-signing him?

My gut reaction would be yes but personally I’ve loved Rick Nash for a long time. He plays old school Bruins hockey and that’s likely why he’s already loved by the Bruins fanbase. What would it cost to keep Nash though? Well the Bruins have roughly 17.5 million in cap space for next year but they have UFA’s Chara, Riley Nash, Schaller and Khudobin they might want to re-sign. They have two RFA’s in Grzelcyk and Kuraly.  They would have the space to spend money on Nash but would need to keep the term to around 3 years so when players on entry level deals need new contracts they have cap room for them ( McAvoy, Heinen, DeBrusk, Carlo).

Rick Nash has scored 56 goals and tallied 46 assists in the last three seasons. Nash is a goal scorer and he always has been, the Bruins have been looking for a second line goal scoring power forward since Lucic was traded, Nash is the answer for that. Very few free agents at age 33 have had numbers similar to Nash which makes it difficult to find a comparable contract for him. Guys with similar deals would be Pominville (5 years at 5.6 mill) Hornqvist (5 years at 5.3 mill) and David Backes (5 years at 6 mill). All of these players signed at a younger age than Nash who will turn 34 before the start of next season. This could be a big bargaining chip for the Bruins.

Nash could be a great piece for the Bruins while some younger prospect get their legs under them in the AHL or on the Bruins lower lines. I’m not a GM but if Sweeney could snag Nash with a three year deal at around 5.75 mill, that would be a win for the Bruins. A second line player and proven goal scorer on a short deal and with a reasonable cap hit, would be great.

That being said Nash will receive many offers from teams but he is in the late stages of a career so he will be looking to go to a contender and win the cup before he retires, the Bruins can certainly offer that to him. It might be too early to talk about an extension but I’d like to see Nash in a Bruins’ jersey for a while longer.

-Tyler Smith (@TylerSmith4386)