Hartnett: Even With Rangers' Added Depth Up Front, Nash Remains Vital

By Sean Hartnett
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The Rangers have a logjam at forward. With 25-year-old forward Brandon Pirri now officially added to the mix, the Blueshirts will have 18 forwards competing for 13 spots in training camp.

Something has to give and, surely, it would make sense for the Rangers to eventually use their surplus of forwards in a trade to address blueline needs.

On Friday, the Rangers signed Pirri to a one-year, $1.1 million contract.

That massive group of forwards consists of Derek Stepan, Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller, Michael Grabner, Jesper Fast, Jimmy Vesey, Pavel Buchnevich, Nathan Gerbe, Tanner Glass, Josh Jooris, Nicklas Jensen, Marek Hrivik, Pirri, and Oscar Lindberg, who is expected to miss the first month of the season due to hip surgery.

Veteran forward Max Lapierre has also been signed to a professional tryout agreement.

The Rangers won't rush to make a trade. General manager Jeff Gorton could opt to hang on to all options and strike a deal when the time in right. The recent additions of Pirri and Vesey have led to further speculation that Nash is the most likely candidate to be traded away.

MORE: Hartnett: Rangers Have Good Reason To Be Excited About Vesey

Yet, it would be difficult to see how trading Nash would improve the Blueshirts. Injures kept the 32-year-old winger from performing to his typical standards last season. He finished the 2015-16 regular season with 36 points, including 15 goals, in 60 games. When the Rangers' scoring dried up during the playoffs, a seemingly healthier Nash recorded four points in five postseason games to tie since-traded Derick Brassard for the team lead.

Nash was one of a limited number of Rangers forwards who provided a consistent two-way effort throughout their first-round defeat to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. Even when the Blueshirts fizzled in their Game 5 elimination, Nash made his presence felt by scoring a goal, recording four hits and registering three shots on goal.

The 6-foot-4 forward still has much to offer the Blueshirts and can at worst be counted on for 25 goals. In a great year, he could push close to 40. His 42 in 2014-15 trailed only superstars Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos. Few skaters in the NHL are capable of scoring over 30 goals in any given season and Nash is certainly capable of being a 30-plus guy. Only 18 skaters scored more than 30 goals last season.

Looking up and down the Rangers' roster, it's hard to identify another player capable of matching Nash's goal-scoring production. Keep this stat in mind: Nash has collected 104 goals in 248 games since joining the Rangers. That's good for eighth most in the league over that span and on a goals-per-game basis, he would be fifth most in the NHL.

Maybe a change of scenery and instant chemistry with new linemates can get Zibanejad close, but there's always the chance it will take time for the 23-year-old to adjust to his new teammates and surroundings. Kreider came on strong in the second half after running into a few cold spells last season. He could get close to 30 goals if he is able to finally find consistency over a full 82-game season. Zuccarello recorded a career-high 26 goals last season, but he is geared to playmaking tendencies. The crafty Norwegian led Rangers forwards with 35 assists last season.

Dealing away Brassard in the Zibanejad deal helped alleviate the salary cap squeeze and the Rangers aren't under pressure to deal away Nash for cap reasons. It just seems that trading him to fill one need would open up another need and the Rangers would likely have to eat a portion of his $7.8 million cap hit to make any deal work. There's a reason why Nash makes elite forward dough. It's because he's a reliable goal scorer, a beast in all three zones and an excellent penalty killer.

Back to Pirri, his signing is a low-risk/potentially high-reward move. He will certainly figure into the competition for bottom-six forward places. Pirri recorded 29 points in split duty with the Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks last season, and scored a whopping 22 goals in 49 games for Florida in 2014-15. He's a real sniper and excels at both scoring and providing on the rush. His signing could be one of the bargains of the summer.

Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey