Here's the thing,
When you are as talented as Nash is,
And you're paid money to be "the man" on offense,
And you don't score for two playoffs in a row,
During your team's window to win a championship,
Which is limited and hard to come by,
And you're playing with an elite goalie who really only needs two goals to win,
And you can't even consistently provide one of those goals,
And other teams stars have lead their teams to championships,
With teams comparable or even less talented that yours,
And you've essentially gotten your wish to play for this team,
And it happens to be in a fish bowl,
And it happens to be hungry for a cup,
And you seem unable to light a fire under your ass,
Which is one of the things that plagued you even before you arrived in said fish bowl,
You're going to get grief.
You're going to get grief, sometimes unfairly, the same way others in your position would.
Grief similar to -
A star cleanup hitter who provides adequate defense but doesn't hit for power or average in the playoffs,
A star quarterback who gets his team into field goal range but doesn't throw touchdowns in the playoffs,
A star center who grabs several rebounds, but can't make field goals in the playoffs.
It's not easy and it's not completely fair, but that's life and that's the expectation that goes with being a a teams star offensive player.
That's what comes with being a high paid player.
That's what comes with being a first overall pick.
That's what comes from playing in a city that wants excellence and knows the difference between legends and pretenders.
It's rabid and it's vicious and it's not for everybody. But it has been done before.
There are some markets that can smell the fear in athletes, and Nash is playing in one of them. This is his chance to prove that Columbus was the problem not him. Frankly, the clock is ticking. And the clock doesn't stop ticking because of a good shift, or a good game, or even a good series. It stops ticking when you use your elite talent to elevate your team and you put them on your back and you say "we are winning this thing, the WHOLE thing."
It's why your paid elite money. It's why you have elite talent. You got to own it. Someone's going to own it, why not you?
Because nobody gives a crap if you did an awesome poke check. Nobody gives a crap if you're playing solid defense as a forward. You have to produce, you have to score if you are a scorer - if you are paid to be THE scorer. For the same reason why Lundqvist is paid to stop pucks. Nobody cares if he handles the puck like Crosby. Nobody cares if he did a really good job of passing the puck - he's paid to stop pucks.
You know what often separates the winners from the losers? Lowered expectations and a boat load of excuses. Winners find a way - the scratch, they claw, they leave everything on the ice. Can we honestly say Nash does that? Can we honestly say he plays like his season is on the line? Can you honestly say there is a moment during a game where you say to yourself "Nash won't stand for this" or "Nash has got this"? You know why? Because deep down even his biggest supporters are wondering if he's got that extra something special inside.
The time is now for Nash, in 2015. If not now, than when?
I don't hate Nash. I want nothing more than to see him own the next 10 games the Rangers need to win a cup. I want nothing more than to see drag a guy with him as he swoops in on a goalie he has the talent to make look like an amateur. I'd love to see body language or a look I'm his eyes that lets the whole world know he's gonna kick ass. I'd love to see some sense of urgency from a man who sees the Stanley Cup as the ultimate goal of his profession.
But you can't lower the expectations for him. Not in May. Not if you really expect to win. If we need to point to penalty killing and defense work from Rick Nash, we've already lowered the bar far enough.
10 games, Rick Nash. You need to play the best hockey of your life for 10 games.
