NHL talk: Rick Nash for Kadri, Komi, Lombardi and Aulie

Ohio has a significant Islamic population and Nazem Kadri could be a crucial ambassador to the community, helping the Blue Jackets extend their reach. The Maple Leafs would likely have to add a draft pick, plus take another veteran from Columbus.

It makes no sense for Columbus to be paying Rick Nash $8 million per year for the next five years, when they have to now enter a rebuilding mode and are a small market team. Waiting until the trade deadline will be too late, if someone wants Nash, he should bid now and bid large. Got it, Bri?

Maple leafs off to best start since 1962

50 years ago: A string of 3 straight Stanley Cup victories

The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs started in a calendar year with 4 wins was 1962, the year Bill Barilko's body was discovered at the plane crash site 100km north of Cochrane, ON. Nobody is predicting 3 Cup wins in a row (with parity and 30 teams, highly improbable relative to early 60s), however with the NHL's youngest team skating in Toronto, a few consecutive years in the playoffs may be in the cards. In this new concussion-concussed NHL, a team needs to have 3 or 4 NHL goalies, plus about 30 NHL-calibre players. The Buds have this type of depth, and as the season wears on our youth and vigor wear down opponents, and one can only hope that the Boston Bruins have peaked too early.

NHL trade rumour: Rick Nash to Maple Leafs

With the Columbus Blue Jackets sinking in the standings and suffering perennial attendance woes, how long before GM Scott Howson begins the rebuild by shopping Rick Nash and his $8 million salary? Well, of the 4 teams at the bottom of the standings, Anaheim may be timid about dealing with Brian Burke again, and Carolina is unlikely to part with either Staal or Skinner, while the Islanders probably still feel they are in the race. This means that Columbus is the best trading partner for an upwardly mobile team like the Leafs, so let us think about what it will take to land Nash.

First, the Buds are close to the salary cap so will need to send at least 7 to 7.5 mil in salary to Columbus, though Leafs contracts will expire before Nash's, providing room for Columbus to re-sign prospects in coming years.

From Toronto:

Nazem Kadri

Jussi Rynnas

Matt Lombardi

Mike Komisarek

2013 1st Round Draft Pick

From Columbus:

Rick Nash

Comments, anyone?

Toronto Maple Leafs top scorers, January 2012

Forwards & Defensemen

#	POS	PLAYER	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PP	SH	GW	S	S%
81	R	PHIL KESSEL	41	24	24	48	6	10	5	0	4	146	16.4
19	R	JOFFREY LUPUL	41	19	28	47	8	36	5	0	3	121	15.7
3	D	DION PHANEUF	41	7	21	28	2	47	5	0	0	116	6.0
42	C	TYLER BOZAK	35	7	18	25	4	20	3	0	0	53	13.2
84	C	MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI	35	12	11	23	0	12	4	0	1	72	16.7
12	C	TIM CONNOLLY	29	7	15	22	6	20	2	0	2	46	15.2
24	D	JOHN-MICHAEL LILES	34	4	17	21	2	12	2	0	0	68	5.9
16	L	CLARKE MACARTHUR	34	12	9	21	1	18	3	0	2	62	19.4
41	L	NIKOLAI KULEMIN	41	4	12	16	0	6	0	0	0	57	7.0
46	R	JOEY CRABB	30	6	6	12	0	17	0	1	2	29	20.7
36	D	CARL GUNNARSSON	40	2	10	12	5	14	0	0	0	51	3.9
2	D	LUKE SCHENN	40	1	11	12	6	37	0	0	0	47	2.1
4	D	CODY FRANSON	26	3	8	11	2	14	1	0	0	25	12.0
39	R	MATT FRATTIN	37	5	5	10	2	16	0	0	1	55	9.1
51	D	JAKE GARDINER	37	0	10	10	-1	16	0	0	0	34	0.0
15	C	MATTHEW LOMBARDI	23	2	5	7	-6	4	0	1	1	31	6.5
20	C	DAVID STECKEL	38	7	0	7	-2	6	1	2	0	43	16.3
43	C	NAZEM KADRI	11	3	2	5	5	6	1	0	1	16	18.8
8	D	MIKE KOMISAREK	19	1	3	4	1	26	0	0	0	13	7.7
32	C	JOE COLBORNE	9	1	3	4	1	2	0	0	0	7	14.3
18	R	MIKE BROWN	19	1	2	3	0	31	0	0	0	20	5.0
47	L	DARRYL BOYCE	8	1	1	2	1	14	0	0	1	4	25.0
28	R	COLTON ORR	5	1	0	1	1	5	0	0	0	3	33.3
9	R	COLBY ARMSTRONG	9	0	1	1	-4	4	0	0	0	6	0.0
59	D	KEITH AULIE	11	0	1	1	-3	16	0	0	0	9	0.0
11	C	PHILIPPE DUPUIS	30	0	0	0	-2	16	0	0	0	30	0.0
38	L	JAY ROSEHILL	15	0	0	0	-2	21	0	0	0	8	0.0

GOALIES

#	GOALIE	GPI	GS	MIN	GAA	W	L	OT	SO	SA	GA	SV%	G	A	PIM
50	JONAS GUSTAVSSON	20	17	1096	3.07	12	7	0	1	576	56	.903	0	1	4
34	JAMES REIMER	17	17	958	3.01	7	4	4	1	482	48	.900	0	0	0
30	BEN SCRIVENS	8	7	425	2.96	2	4	1	0	219	21	.904	0	0	2