Can Shake Ups Bring Nash to Buffalo?

The Columbus Blue Jackets appear to finally be cleaning house and trying to turn their season around.  The Blue Jackets announced this morning that they have fired head coach Scott Arniel and have replaced him with former Minnesota Wild head coach, Todd Richards.  It is also rumored that their franchise player and right winger, Rick Nash, has waved the no trade clause in his contract.  The big question is with the change in leadership, will Columbus consider dealing Nash to Buffalo?

Rick Nash is in his 9th season with the Columbus Blue Jackets who drafted him back in 2002.  In his career, Nash has been a fairly consistent player, averaging around 30 goals and 60 points per season despite not being surrounded by a lot of other talent.  So for this season, he has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points.  Rick's motivation for wanting to leave Ohio may have to do with his club's lack of playoff appearances in his time there.  Thus far Nash has only played in 4 playoff games back in 2009 where he had a goal and two assists in the series against the Detroit Red Wings.  Could Buffalo give him a chance for a run at a Stanley Cup?

The Sabres were a playoff contending team  until the team began slipping in December due to a lack of scoring.  The two players under the most pressure for their lack of production on Buffalo are center Derek Roy and right winger Drew Stafford.  Between the two of them, they only have 15 goals and 31 assists.  For comparison, the Sabres leading scorers Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek individually have 14 goals, 29 assists and 19 goals, 21 assists respectively.  

Would Columbus consider sending their long time franchise player to Buffalo in exchange for two goal scoring forwards in a slump?  Tough to say.  Roy is currently out with an upper body injury suffered against the Carolina Huricanes, but it doesn't appear to be a long term problem.  They could use more play makers on their roster and a change of scenery has helped more then one hockey player break a scoring funk.  The Sabres could use a big forward like Nash who is able to get pucks in the net and could have success with young playmakers like Luke Adam and Nathan Gerbe.  

Will the Sabres try and make a deal with the Blue Jackets to get Rick Nash?  Probably not but its not because he couldn't be useful in the lineup.  Sabres leadership just seems to be content with paying for mediocre play and blaming it on bad bounces or just not working hard enough.