"I definitely wasn't expecting it today, for sure, with a couple of days to go (before the NHL Trade Deadline on April 12)," Nash told The Athletic. "I feel like the eyes have been on the other guys, but this is definitely exciting and a great opportunity."
The forward is out 4-6 weeks after spraining his knee in the second period of a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday. He was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
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"He has a history of being a reliable defensive player and a guy who knows exactly who is and what he needs to do to help this team win," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said Saturday. "It's great for us to add somebody of his experience and a guy who plays a little bit lower in the lineup. The priority is for us to get him healthy and take it from there but we are excited to add him to the group."
Nash scored seven points (two goals, five assists) in 37 games and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"He was a pretty important guy for us and doesn't really put up big numbers but he stabilized a lot of things as you go through a game," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said Saturday. "So we wish him the best and great opportunity for him to play some playoff hockey."
The 31-year-old has scored 172 points (63 goals, 109 assists) in 578 NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins and Blue Jackets, and eight points (two goals, six assists) in 32 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"What I know of him, what stands out to me was the way he played against us in the [Stanley Cup Qualifiers] against Columbus last year," Keefe said. "I just thought he was a real factor and got a sense of what he could bring there. As a guy who gets really difficult match ups, starts in his own end, plays against good players, I thought he had a lot of shifts against our best players where you thought perhaps we'd get the upper hand and it didn't work out that way."
The Maple Leafs (27-10-3) lead the seven-team Scotia North Division, five points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers.
Nash told the website he expects to be healthy by the start of the playoffs (the regular season is scheduled to end May 11). Columbus defeated Toronto in the Qualifiers last season.
"You follow teams around the League, and they've been having a really strong year," Nash said. "We played them last year, so that was a chance to see what they're all about. They were knocking on the door last year. ... I'm excited to add whatever they need, and go on, hopefully, a long playoff run. An opportunity like this doesn't come around very often. This should be fun."
The Blue Jackets (15-19-8) are seventh in the eight-team Discover Central Division, seven points behind the fourth-place Nashville Predators. The top four teams in each of the four divisions qualify for the playoffs.
"The way this year has gone, just the team aspect of not quite putting it all together to give ourselves a real chance," Nash said. "That's a nagging feeling for a lot of guys, especially these next few days (until the deadline). ... Things are changing (with the Blue Jackets) because we weren't able to get it done. That's frustrating, but you try to learn from it and be better moving forward."
The draft pick will become a sixth-round selection if Nash plays in 25 percent of Toronto's playoff games this season.
NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
