Rick Nash looking for chance to win, good place to live in free agency

The Boston Bruins check a couple of key boxes for Rick Nash as he gets set to become an unrestricted free agent.

"Obviously to win, that's No. 1," he said, per NHL.com's Matt Kalman. "No. 2 is a good place to live, a good place that my family enjoys. And Boston's been great. It's been a pretty seamless transition for us, so everything was positive."

The veteran winger was acquired from the New York Rangers prior to the trade deadline with a view to boosting the team's chances at playoff success, a run that ended with a second-round loss to Tampa Bay.

He'll be free to sign with any of the NHL's 31 clubs on July 1, but his experience with the Bruins was positive, despite the end result.

Nash recorded three goals and three assists in 11 regular-season games, adding three goals and two assists in 12 postseason appearances. He did suffer a concussion that forced him out of the lineup for a dozen games prior to the start of the playoffs, but even that didn't cloud his overall perception of his time in Boston.

"It was disappointing with having the concussion and having some effects during it and only playing a certain amount of games and then coming back for the playoffs," Nash said "But everything was positive. The organization was great, the guys were awesome, so it was a great chapter here and hopefully it can continue."

Nash, 33, is coming off an eight-year, $64.2-million deal signed with Columbus in 2009.