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DoobeeDoobeeDoo
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A lot of time has been spent playing the blame game. Is it Hank's fault? Is it Del Zotto's fault? Is it AV's fault? How about Sather?
I personally think the player who should get the majority of the blame is Rick Nash. He was supposed to be a superstar capable of carrying the Rangers to the next level. For $7.8 million per year, you would expect him to perform like a superstar up there with the likes of Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg, Anze Kopitar, Evgeni Malkin, etc. Instead, he's fallen into the class of Marcel Goc, Ray Whitney, Martin Erat, etc.
If we look back at the trade, the Rangers' center situation could've been Richards on the 1st line, Stepan on the 2nd line, Anisimov on the 3rd line, and Dubinsky on the 4th line. 4 solid centers on each line. Instead they sacrificed depth for individual talent. What's worse is that BOTH Anisimov AND Dubinsky are outproducing Nash head to head as well. Artem Anisimov ($3.283 million) currently has 8 goals & 11 assists for 19 points; Brandon Dubinsky ($4.2 million) currently has 6 goals 18 assists for 24 points. Compare that to Rick Nash who has 6 goals & 8 assists for 14 points.
And you don't even have to look at other teams to see players outperforming Rick Nash on the stat sheets. Just look at other players on the Rangers. As of now, Brad Richards ($6.67 million), Mats Zuccarello (1,15 million), Derek Stepan ($3,075 million), Chris Kreider ($800,000), Ryan McDOnagh ($4.7 million), Derick Brassard ($3.2 million), & Carl Hagelin ($2.25 million) are all outperforming Rick Nash ($7.8 million).
We all know that Rick Nash has the physical tools to make a greater impact that he has done so far. I know he suffered from a serious head injury earlier this season, but players recovering from concussions typically don't so long to get back in the groove especially when they have the physical tools Nash has. He really seems to be "big for nothing" and right now his performance just doesn't justify his salary. There is a lot of talk about trading Michael Del Zotto ($2.55 million) or buying out Brad Richards, but maybe Nash should be inserted into trade/buyout rumors instead.
Once again, I'm not posting this simply to trash Rich Nash, but it seems as if he's getting a free pass while everyone else is getting blamed. Maybe he needs to be held accountable for his inactions.
I personally think the player who should get the majority of the blame is Rick Nash. He was supposed to be a superstar capable of carrying the Rangers to the next level. For $7.8 million per year, you would expect him to perform like a superstar up there with the likes of Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg, Anze Kopitar, Evgeni Malkin, etc. Instead, he's fallen into the class of Marcel Goc, Ray Whitney, Martin Erat, etc.
If we look back at the trade, the Rangers' center situation could've been Richards on the 1st line, Stepan on the 2nd line, Anisimov on the 3rd line, and Dubinsky on the 4th line. 4 solid centers on each line. Instead they sacrificed depth for individual talent. What's worse is that BOTH Anisimov AND Dubinsky are outproducing Nash head to head as well. Artem Anisimov ($3.283 million) currently has 8 goals & 11 assists for 19 points; Brandon Dubinsky ($4.2 million) currently has 6 goals 18 assists for 24 points. Compare that to Rick Nash who has 6 goals & 8 assists for 14 points.
And you don't even have to look at other teams to see players outperforming Rick Nash on the stat sheets. Just look at other players on the Rangers. As of now, Brad Richards ($6.67 million), Mats Zuccarello (1,15 million), Derek Stepan ($3,075 million), Chris Kreider ($800,000), Ryan McDOnagh ($4.7 million), Derick Brassard ($3.2 million), & Carl Hagelin ($2.25 million) are all outperforming Rick Nash ($7.8 million).
We all know that Rick Nash has the physical tools to make a greater impact that he has done so far. I know he suffered from a serious head injury earlier this season, but players recovering from concussions typically don't so long to get back in the groove especially when they have the physical tools Nash has. He really seems to be "big for nothing" and right now his performance just doesn't justify his salary. There is a lot of talk about trading Michael Del Zotto ($2.55 million) or buying out Brad Richards, but maybe Nash should be inserted into trade/buyout rumors instead.
Once again, I'm not posting this simply to trash Rich Nash, but it seems as if he's getting a free pass while everyone else is getting blamed. Maybe he needs to be held accountable for his inactions.
