McDonald: Questions still surround Bruins newcomer Rick Nash

BUFFALO – Maybe it’s an old-school mentality, but when a player is traded to a new team, he should arrive at the rink carrying his own bags and stick. It would be a sign to his new teammates that he’s here to work.

When Rick Nash arrived at KeyBank Center to join the Boston Bruins, members of the equipment staff carried his hockey bag and sticks into the rink. Now, before anyone thinks I’m being critical of Nash in this instance, I’m not. The equipment guys in Boston are good men and hard workers. They were waiting for the new arrival and probably insisted on carrying the veteran’s equipment as a welcome gesture.

However, it would have been pretty badass if Nash walked into the visitor’s locker room with his New York Rangers bag over his shoulder and sticks in his hand, to make his presence felt with authority. No doubt it would have caught the attention of the players on this Bruins team and they would have liked him for it.

Even without all that, Nash arrives here with some questions. The former No. 1 overall pick hasn’t been as consistent as an elite player should be at age 33. Maybe a change of scenery will help him dust off his talents and rejuvenate his career.

Of course, general manager Don Sweeney, coach Bruce Cassidy and the players are excited this newest addition, but what do other around the league think of Nash’s arrival with Boston? Here's a sampling of some of the opinions around the league when I called around:

An Eastern Conference head coach: “Good player. He’s a character guy. Very good one-on-one player and plays at both ends of the rink. Not as elite as he once was offensively, but his 200-foot game has improved. He has a strong wrist shot, but can’t one-time the puck very well.”

An NHL executive: “He’s been playing well. I think he will definitely help contribute offensively. I thought what they gave up was not an issue. (Ryan) Lindgren is ok. I thought they would have given up more of an ‘A’ prospect.”

A Western Conference scout: “Can be one of the best power forwards when he’s engaged. It’s tough to take the puck off him and stop him from getting to the net. But, he’s not always engaged.”

Milan Lucic on Nash playing with David Krejci: "Once they get the chemistry going they could be as or more dangerous as we were back in our best days."

That’s how some on the outside feel about Nash. In the Bruins’ locker room, it’s a different story.

“He can add a lot,” Krejci said. “He’s a great player. He’s got size. He’s got speed. He has a great shot. He works hard. He plays on both ends of the ice. I’m excited to play with him. Getting in a few practices is going to be good.”

The deal didn’t get done until early Sunday morning because of the complexity of it all.

“We worked through it and came to the ultimate decision that to improve our hockey club this was the direction we were going to go,” Sweeney said.

The easy way to evaluate this deal for the Bruins is to focus on Nash’s overall ability. Yes, he can be an impact player, but he needs to do it on a consistent basis. No doubt he’s going to be thrust into it because the Bruins have 22 regular-season games remaining in a span of 44 days, so Nash’s commitment level will be tested.

“We’ve got a tough stretch ahead of his in March and we’re going to need everybody to continue to move forward in the direction we hope to and become the team that gets to the dance,” Sweeney said.

The idea is that Nash’s presence on the second line with Krejci will be a boost to the Bruins. The team is also hoping that a bigger, stronger winger on his right side will help Krejci produce more. Even though Nash didn’t carry his bag into the rink, he showed his dedication at 10:16 of the second period of the Bruins' 4-1 loss to the Sabres on Sunday when he produced an all-out effort in the neutral zone, attempting to get the puck deep and drew a holding call on the Sabres’ Benoit Pouliot.

It’s those types of plays that Nash needs to produce every shift of every game. The Bruins went all in to acquire him because the organization believes this spring could be special. He needs to return the favor.