Blue Jackets Sign Rick Nash to Eight-Year Extension

The Columbus Blue Jackets locked up their franchise player long-term on Friday by signing left wing Rick Nash to an eight-year contract extension worth $62.4 million. The deal averages out to $7.8 million per season. He would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer and would have had no shortage of teams lining up for his services. In 78 games last season with the Blue Jackets, Nash scored 40 goals and 39 assists for 79 points. In 441 career games, all with the Blue Jackets, he has 194 goals and 161 assists for 355 points. He won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 2004 along with Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk as the league’s leading goal scorer. All three players scored 41 goals that season. This is a tremendous signing for the Blue jackets, as Nash is one of the premier goal scorers in the league today. He’s a very skilled forward all the way around, especially on the power play and the penalty kill. He also plays with plenty of grit and is a proven leader on the ice. The Blue Jackets would have been hard-pressed to find a suitable replacement for Nash if he had opted to leave the team next summer. He will continue to make them a very competitive team in the NHL for years to come.