Rick Nash - Playing Career

Playing Career

A London Knight for two seasons in the OHL, Rick Nash began his major junior career with 66 points in his first year, receiving the Emms Family Award as the league's top rookie. The following season, he amassed 72 points in 54 games and was subsequently was selected 1st overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joining the Blue Jackets immediately after his draft year in 2002–03, Nash debuted on October 10, 2002 and scored a goal in a 2–1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the eighth No. 1 overall pick to score a goal in their first game and the first to do so in his draft year since Mario Lemieux in 1984. That season, Nash was nominated for the Calder Trophy, as the NHL's best rookie, but lost to defenceman Barret Jackman of the St. Louis Blues. He would, however, join Jackman on the NHL All-Rookie Team.

In Nash's sophomore campaign, he improved his rookie goal total from 17 to 41, a career high that tied Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk for the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in the league. At 19 years of age, Nash was the youngest player in history to lead the league in goals. Recording 16 assists, Nash finished the year with 57 points.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Nash played for HC Davos of the Swiss Nationalliga A (NLA). He scored 26 goals and 46 points in 44 games and added 11 more points (9 goals, 2 assists) in 15 games in the NLA playoffs. Joined by fellow NHL-er Joe Thornton, Davos went on to win the Swiss Championship, as well as the 2004 Spengler Cup.

With the NHL set to resume play in 2005–06, the Blue Jackets re-signed Nash to a five-year, $27 million contract. The deal saw his annual salary increase each year with $3.5 million the first season and $7 million in the last season of the contract for a $5.4 million average salary. However, knee and ankle injuries sidelined Nash for much of the first half of the season. Missing 28 games total, Nash was still named to Team Canada for the 2006 Olympics, shortly after being activated from the injured reserve. Upon returning from a seventh place finish in Turin, Nash completed the season at a point-per-game pace with 54 points in 54 games.

In 2006–07, Nash matched his sophomore points total with 57, and was named to the Western Conference All-Star Team for the second time in his career. He has been Columbus' lone representative both times. Nash scored the game-winning goal in the West win.

The following season, on January 17, 2008, Nash scored what many commentators called the "goal of the year" in the final minute versus the Phoenix Coyotes. Breaking a tied score, Nash deked around two defenders and the goaltender to score the eventual game-winner. Later, at the end of the season, the goal was nominated for an ESPY Award in the category of Best Play. Selected to his third All-Star Game in 2008 that season, Nash scored the quickest goal in All-Star Game history, just 12 seconds in and ended the game with a hat trick.

Completing the season with 38 goals and 69 points, Nash nearly matched his personal best goals total and set a career high for points and assists. Shortly before the end of the season, on March 12, 2008, Nash was also named the fifth captain in Blue Jackets history, replacing the recently traded Adam Foote.

In the off-season, in May 2008, Nash was named the cover athlete and spokesman for NHL 2K9.

Going into the 2008–09 campaign, the Blue Jackets had gone without a playoff appearance in franchise history. Led by the newly-appointed captain Nash and bolstered by rookie goaltender Steve Mason, the Blue Jackets finished the season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference to earn a post-season berth against division-rival the Detroit Red Wings. The series was preceded by an 8–2 rout over the Red Wings on March 7, 2009, a game in which Nash scored three unassisted goals. According to the Columbus Dispatch, citing the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player to score three goals unassisted was Maurice "Rocket" Richard (who scored four) against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 1948. Despite the convincing victory late in the season the Blue Jackets lost in four games.

In addition to leading the Blue Jackets to the playoffs, Nash had a career season with 79 points, in addition to scoring 40 goals for the first time since 2003–04. In the off-season, on July 3, 2009, Nash signed an eight-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets worth $62.4 million set to take effect in 2010–11.

As the 2011–12 season began to unfold, Columbus recorded a dismal 2–12–1 record, the worst start to an NHL season by any team in 19 years. With the team struggling, rumors began circulating that the Blue Jackets were contemplating trading Nash as a solution to their on-ice woes. While General Manager Scott Howson stated publicly that he had had no discussions regrading a Nash deal, other teams had indeed inquired about his availability. When asked about it, Nash stated that if the franchise felt it could improve itself by dealing him, he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to get the deal done. Though Howson had previously maintained that he had no intention of trading Nash, two weeks before the trade deadline he stated in the press that the team was open to all options and they were willing to listen to trade proposals for Nash, despite not actively shopping him. Speculation was that in return for Nash the Blue Jackets would ask for a top 6 forward, a top prospect, and a first round draft pick.

Trade speculation continued on into the summer with no deal imminent. While Howson claimed he merely wanted to receive "market value" in any deal for Nash, there was speculation that his asking price was too high for many rival NHL GMs to consider. Columbus eventually found a trade partner in the New York Rangers. Nash, along with Steven Delisle and a conditional third round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft were traded to the Rangers for Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon and a 2013 first round draft pick.

Nash signed a contract to play with HC Davos again during the ongoing 2012 NHL lockout. In late September 2012 while playing for HC Davos Nash injured his shoulder and left the game.