This is a big transition year for the Rangers, and few know that more acutely than Rick Nash.
The Blueshirts’ alternate captain is going into the final year of a contract that has carried an annual $7.8 million salary-cap hit not always commensurate with his production. Yet with veteran leaders Derek Stepan and Dan Girardi both gone via trade and buyout, respectively, Nash knows the makeup of the group largely has shifted to the younger generation.
“You knew something was going to happen. I think everyone kind of had that feeling,” Nash said Friday at the press conference for the upcoming Winter Classic, to be held outdoors on New Year’s Day at Citi Field between his Rangers and the Sabres.
“It’s tough to lose a lot of veterans, guys with big voices in the dressing room,” Nash said. “But I think it gives a chance for guys to step up. Guys like [Kevin] Hayes, guys like [Chris] Kreider, guys like [J.T.] Miller, that aren’t young guys anymore. This is going to be their team. It’s going to be fun to watch them grow into leaders.”
They all will go through the rigamarole of the Winter Classic, the second time the Rangers have participated in the league’s ballyhooed event, the first being 2012 at Philadelphia. The Blueshirts also took part in two outdoor games at Yankee Stadium in 2014, taking on the Islanders and Devils.
This one will be considered a home game for the Sabres. The Rangers have a real estate tax exemption that they would forfeit by playing a home game anywhere other than Garden. The details surrounding the game, such as alumni contests, fan interaction and ticket sales, are still to be determined.
But Nash is excited to get to don the Blueshirt at least once more on such a grand stage.
“You’re only going to do it a few times in your whole career,” he said, “so it’s pretty special.”
Concerning his contract status, Nash knows that this is all part of the business. Since being drafted No. 1-overall by the Blue Jackets in 2002, Nash has been in the spotlight. He’s now 33 years old, and if he’s not quite the dynamic offensive threat he once was, he certainly is a more well-rounded player. He’s hoping that fact keeps his career going in the right direction.
“Every year, I want to have the best year possible,” Nash said. “But this year, it’s an important year for me personally. It’s an important year for the Rangers, too. We still haven’t achieved that goal that we all want to achieve. When your team has success, you normally look around at the individuals and they have success as well.
“It’s sports,” he continued. “That’s what happens with contracts — your contract is up and you play for another contract. That’s what I’m facing this year.”