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The Rick Nash rumor mill heads north

Rick Nash

On Saturday, the Philadelphia Flyers were headlining the Rick Nash rumor mill. Just one day later, the speculation has centered around Toronto. According to Sportsnet, Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson met with Leafs GM Brian Burke Sunday morning in New York, and the question is if Nash’s name came up.

Unlike the Nash-to-Philadelphia rumors, which didn’t really make a ton of sense on any level, the concept of Nash heading to Toronto at least has some weight to it. For one thing Toronto is in a somewhat better position to absorb Rick Nash’s massive $7,800,000 annual cap hit. Toronto is also a team that would benefit from another scoring winger, although that isn’t their biggest need.

Still, the main question is if the Leafs want Nash enough to make it worth meeting Howson’s demands. As previously reported, Howson is believed to be seeking an impact player, two prospects, and a first round draft pick. In Toronto’s case, Sportsnet believes that a combination of Nikolai Kulemin, Luke Schenn, Nazem Kadri, and maybe James Reimer would need to be in the trade. With that in mind, pulling the trigger on a Nash deal might not be in Toronto’s best interests.