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Boston Bruins go all-in, acquire Rick Nash from New York Rangers

By Dave Stevenson

OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 17: New York Rangers Left Wing Rick Nash (61) waits for a face-off during first period National Hockey League action between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators on February 17, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 17: New York Rangers Left Wing Rick Nash (61) waits for a face-off during first period National Hockey League action between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators on February 17, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Bruins are pushing in a lot of their chips, as they’ve traded for New York Rangers forward Rick Nash 

The Boston Bruins have quietly been one of the best teams in the NHL this season. They are in a mad race for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Since the prize for finishing first includes only having to face one of the two remaining top teams in the division, the Bruins are motivated to grab that top spot. They’ve shown this by trading for New York Rangers forward Rick Nash.

It was not a cheap price, as the Bruins had to give up quite a bit to the New York Rangers. But Nash is an undeniable upgrade to Boston. Let’s take a look at what the trade looks like.

Bruins get: Nash
Rangers get: 2018 first-round pick (BOS), 2019 seventh-round pick defenseman Ryan Lindgren, forward Ryan Spooner, and forward Matt Beleskey

Also, the Rangers retained half of Nash’s salary.

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It’s a hefty price to pay for Nash, but he’s one of the most consistent goal scorers in the NHL. In 60 games this season, he has 18 goals and 10 assists. Nash hits the 20 goal mark on a pretty consistent basis and is also an excellent defensive forward.

The departure of Spooner means he will likely replace him on the second line. However, Nash would also be a really nice fit on the first line next to Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.

The best part of this trade for the Bruins is they keep their prospect depth. Lindgren is a solid defenseman prospect, but he’s not worth worrying about losing.

Meanwhile, the Rangers did extremely well here. They now have two first-round picks, which gives them two picks in each of the first three rounds of the 2018 draft. This can be used to help rebuild their rather barren prospect system or help them as they try to retool and be competitive as soon as next season.

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This trade comes not too long after the Rangers traded Nick Holden to the Bruins. Boston still has a bit of cap space left, so they might not be done yet.

For all your NHL Trade Rumors needs, check out our Rumors page and our NHL Trade Deadline Tracker.

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