The Future of Rick Nash

Since the end of the Bruins’ season Rick Nash has been contemplating retirement. Nash is choosing to consider his long-term health after his lengthy concussion history. His most recent concussion caused him to miss a chunk of time for the Bruins after he was acquired for the Rangers. With more and more scare regarding CTE I can’t blame Nash for thinking about his life after hockey.

During Nash’s short time as a Bruin he recorded 11 points in his 23 games played. Nash was the Bruins’ big deadline move but things never quite worked out for him after he received a concussion. Between the Bruins and Rangers last season Nash scored 21 goals and added 13 assists. He is still an effective player at the NHL level and would draw some interest if he decided to play again.

Nash would be welcomed back by the Bruins to try to fill that second line role if he wished to play. This would help the Bruins address their need for a second line winger and Nash would likely want a short-term deal since he is aging and is considering retirement. A short-term contract would be convenient for the Bruins as they would still have plenty of cap space to sign their young players when contracts expire in one or two years. While Nash is not a long-term solution he certainly offers the Bruins flexibility and performed quite well with Krejci and DeBrusk last season.

As the pre-season draws closer and teams are finalizing rosters Nash is silently making his decision. Nash was a stud during the course of his career totaling 805 points in 1,060 games. I loved watching Nash play when I was growing up and I’d love to see him lace ’em up for one last season, hopefully in the black and gold.

Written By Tyler Smith( @TylerSmith4386)