Bold Bruins acquire Nash day before trade deadline

The Boston Bruins have made a bold move, acquiring Rick Nash from the New York Rangers a day before the NHL trade deadline.

Boston added the veteran forward Sunday in a market filled with players in the last season of their contracts. The retooling Rangers received the Bruins’ first-round pick this year along with forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, defenceman Ryan Lindgren and a seventh-round pick next year. The 33-year-old Nash has 18 goals and 10 assists this season and 799 points in his career.

Toronto added forwards Tomas Plekanec from Montreal in a multiplayer deal on the eve of the deadline.

Nashville traded forward Pontus Aberg to Edmonton for forward Mark Letestu and then dealt him to Columbus for a fourthround pick.

The Bruins also signed veteran forward Brian Gionta to a oneyear, US$700,000 deal Sunday. Gionta served as the captain of the American team that competed at the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Gionta has appeared in 1,006 career NHL games with Buffalo, Montreal and New Jersey from 2001 through 2017.

Nash has topped 30 goals in eight of his 15 NHL seasons and joins a Bruins team that ranks third in the Eastern Conference standings with 82 points. Nash is in the final year of his contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

This marked the second trade between the two teams this past week. On Tuesday, the Bruins acquired veteran defenceman Nick Holden for prospect Robbie O’Gara and a draft pick.

For the Rangers, trading Nash further signals their plans to overhaul the aging core of a roster that helped New York make the playoffs in each of the previous seven seasons, including the team that lost the 2014 Stanley Cup final in five games to Los Angeles.

The Rangers are slipping out of playoff contention in going 5-16 in their past 21 games since Jan. 7, and have lost six straight in preparing to host Detroit on Sunday.

Adding the Bruins’ first-round pick gives the Rangers nine selections in this year’s draft, including six in the first three rounds.

New York might not be done dealing with captain Ryan McDonagh also considered to be on the trading block.

And with Nash off the market, the focus of trade attention also turns to whether Sabres forward Evander Kane and Ottawa Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson will also be dealt by Monday afternoon.

The 35-year-old Plekanec, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is to join the Leafs in time for games Monday night in Tampa Bay and Tuesday night in Florida.

“It’s 15 years of my life, it’s my home,” Plekanec said of his Canadiens career that began in 2003. “My kids go to school here. Their first language basically is French.

“But now I’m going to Toronto and there’s going to be playoff hockey and having a chance to play for the Stanley Cup and it’s awesome.”

Plekanec joins a youthful Toronto squad (39-25-5) that sits second in the Atlantic Division behind Tampa Bay, which has three games in hand. Toronto is on a four-game winning streak.

“When you get in the playoffs everybody has a chance, especially Toronto with the talent that team has,” he said. “The organization is all winners.

“They’ve won before and they know how to win. I’m excited to be a part of that now.”

The stocky centre, known for nearly always wearing turtlenecks, is likely to be used as a third- or fourth-line centre in Toronto. He is an accomplished two-way player and penalty killer, even if his offensive statistics have dropped since his prime years.

Plekanec has six goals and 18 assists in 60 games this season playing a primarily checking role. He’s had seasons of 29 goals and 69 points in 2007-08 and 25 goals and 70 points in 2009-10.

“I had a certain role that I take pride in,” he said.

Plekanec had been told he was on the block ahead of Monday’s NHL trading deadline so he wasn’t shocked when the deal was made.

He was drafted in the third round in 2001 and spent his entire career in the Canadiens organization. His 981 games played is seventh on the club’s all-time list.

An iron man, he has missed only 17 games in his career, including Saturday night when he was a healthy scratch because the trade was in the works.

Also on Sunday, a person with direct knowledge of the move says the Minnesota Wild have placed forward Chris Stewart on waivers.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the transaction had not been announced. The 30-year-old Stewart has nine goals and four assists this season and 318 points in his career.

The person also says the Ottawa Senators put defenceman Johnny Oduya and forward Alex Burrows on waivers and the Columbus Blue Jackets put forward Jussi Jokinen on waivers. All three players have had solid careers, but have not been productive this season.

NHL teams can claim players off waivers until noon Monday, three hours before the league’s trade deadline.