Bruins acquire Nash in trade with Rangers, sign Gionta
BUFFALO, N.Y. — As well as the Boston Bruins have been playing, general manager Don Sweeney wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to make them better. And bigger.
Sweeney continued solidifying a playoff push Sunday by acquiring forward Rick Nash in a multiplayer trade with the Rangers that leaves New York retooling for the long-term future. The Rangers acquired the Bruins’ first-round pick in this year’s draft as well as forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, prospect defenceman Ryan Lindgren and a seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft in a deal reached a day before the NHL’s trade deadline.
“Our players have made a push and I wanted to inch that along if we could, and reward it in a way,” Sweeney said.
At 6-foot-4, Nash provides Boston an established power forward to fill out their second line centred by David Krejci. And the 33-year-old Nash, who has topped 30 goals in eight of his 15 seasons, also adds an offensive dimension to a team that has leaned heavily on its top line, which has combined to score 73 of Boston’s 192 goals this season.