Nash to Play with Thornton in Switzerland (Updated: No He's Not)
Contrary to reports, both Rick Nash and agent Joe Resnick say Rick has no plan to play in Davos if there is a lockout.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) August 16, 2012
Original Post:
Via HockeyExpressen, good friend of the blog Edvin L. informs me that if there's a lockout, Rick Nash would join Joe Thornton to play in Switzerland for HC Davos.
The pair had played together for Davos during the 2004-05 lockout.
Two weeks ago, TheNYRBlog's Adam Herman reported Swedish Elite League team Frolunda is reportedly interested in bringing back favorite son Henrik Lundqvist if the NHL locks out its players.
...hope Nash doesn't try to talk Thornton into dropping his no-trade clause to possibly be traded to the Rangers.
...as we get closer and closer to that September 15th lockout deadline, I think we'll see more of this. These guys need to stay in shape somehow.
...but the threat of a possible injury scares the crap out of me, as we've all seen with the ineptness of the KHL that it's not exactly premium healthcare over there.
***
Speaking of Nash, John Kreiser at NHL.com takes a look at the Eastern Conference players on the hot seat this season...
"The Rangers made a huge commitment to bring Nash to New York from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nash has scored 30 or more goals in five consecutive seasons, but he also has seen his point total drop in each of the past three seasons. The Rangers are coming off a season in which they finished first in the East and made the conference finals, so anything short of a trip to the Stanley Cup Final likely will be regarded as a failure. To say Nash will have big expectations on his shoulders would be putting it mildly."
...while I agree that anything less than a trip to the Finals would be a disappointment for the Rangers, I actually think Nash will have less pressure on him this season. During his nine years in Columbus, Nash had the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders. He was expected to deliver every night for a team lacking in the talent department. Now he's on a team full of top NHL talent, relieving the burden of being the sole offensive threat.
...i also think loosing the "C" will allow him to focus all of his energy on goal scoring, not worrying about keeping the locker room motivated.
For Nash stat projections and a highlight video, keep reading after the jump.
Meanwhile, Sergei J. Feldman also at NHL.com predicts a 30-plus goal, 80-plus point, 300-plus shot season for Nash.
...where do I sign-up for that?
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@TheNYRBlog NHL is going to lose a lot of the new fans that they attracted over the last 5+ years. What a shame. Bettman should know better
@TheNYRBlog Nice to see Hank and Nasher have things set up. As for me, I'll probably wind up playing with myself. This sucks.
Commissioner Buttman says there's a wide gap between league and players. There's a wide gap alright, and it's between his humongous ears!
