Rick Nash to Bruins

[Nik Bethune]

Not yet official yet because the trade call with NHL has not happened but BOS and NYR have a deal in place for Rick Nash. Return to NYR expected to include BOS first-round pick and prospect defenseman Ryan Lindgren, but there are other elements to the deal as well.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2018

[Nik Bethune]

Here's the total deal:

OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, defenseman Ryan Lindgren, forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, and a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft from the Bruins in exchange for Rick Nash.

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 25, 2018

So, yeah, seems like JVR would be pretty valuable.

[herman]

There’s retained salary on both Nash and Beleskey

[L K]

Yep, trade JVR.   Use the assets to acquire a D-Man (or get a prospect back worth developing into one).  The value of guys st this point is just too high.

[Bender]

Yep, trade JVR.   Use the assets to acquire a D-Man (or get a prospect back worth developing into one).  The value of guys st this point is just too high.

As useful as he'd be I think we can slot in another player (Johnsson?) into his spot. Obviously we won't be that effective up front but I mean Nash isn't even that good anymore and look what he returned. (Although I don't know how good those players are that Boston gave up).

[princedpw]

I find it interesting how we all (it seems) pretty much agree on trading JVR and yet no one thinks management will do it. 

My psychology is this:  I’m happy the team has improved and I’ve enjoyed the season. It looks like a tough slog through the playoffs.  I want to improve further in future years.  That kind of delayed gratification is fairly rare in sports — it is hard not to want the best right now. But I get a sense others feel that too.  I wonder if management is aware of fan psychology.  It would be great if they exploited it this year ...

[CarltonTheBear]

Ryan Lindgren doesn't seem like a prospect with much NHL potential around him. I think the real value in this trade for the Rangers depends on what they do with the other pieces they get. If they can flip Spooner for like a 2nd, and if Beleskey can became a decent 3rd liner again they could flip him for a 3rd rounder next season, then that's a nice haul of draft picks.

[Bender]

Ryan Lindgren doesn't seem like a prospect with much NHL potential around him. I think the real value in this trade for the Rangers depends on what they do with the other pieces they get. If they can flip Spooner for like a 2nd, and if Beleskey can became a decent 3rd liner again they could flip him for a 3rd rounder next season, then that's a nice haul of draft picks.

Could Spooner be a trade target for us? Shore up the 4C slot?

[Nik Bethune]

Could Spooner be a trade target for us? Shore up the 4C slot?

He's not really that sort of player. If the Leafs were interested in him it'd more be about someone to be a Bozak replacement.

[CarltonTheBear]

Could Spooner be a trade target for us? Shore up the 4C slot?

I'd imagine if they were going for a 3C type to slot in at 4C they'd be targeting someone with a little more defensive ability, like Plekanec. I'm not a huge fan of Spooner anyway. He reminds me of Bozak. Not in terms of their direct style of play, but in the sense that they both score in very comfortable minutes/situations and don't play much defence. 

[Nik Bethune]

Ryan Lindgren doesn't seem like a prospect with much NHL potential around him.

Is that based on the lousy college numbers or something else that would have negatively affected his bonafides since being drafted? Because he made two World Junior teams.

[Zee]

Can the Leafs trade JVR already?  I'd like another first round pick.

[CarltonTheBear]

Is that based on the lousy college numbers or something else that would have negatively affected his bonafides since being drafted? Because he made two World Junior teams.

Lousy college numbers and the fact that most rankings of Boston's top prospects don't have him included. They aren't perfect rankings, but SBNations' blog sites do their top-25 under-25 for their teams every year and he was ranked 23rd on Boston's. Filtering out NHLers that still puts him way outside their top-10 prospects.

[Nik Bethune]

Lousy college numbers and the fact that most rankings of Boston's top prospects don't have him included. They aren't perfect rankings, but SBNations' blog sites do their top-25 under-25 for their teams every year and he was ranked 23rd on Boston's. Filtering out NHLers that still puts him way outside their top-10 prospects.

Fair enough. I only ask because opinion seems divided on that front on the twitter machine.

[CarltonTheBear]

Fair enough. I only ask because opinion seems divided on that front on the twitter machine.

Most of the scouting reports I've seen on him are that he's a hard-hitting, defensive defenceman with leadership qualities and limited offensive upside. Meh. More often than not those guys become 6/7 defencemen at best.