The New York Islanders have traded Brock Nelson with depth forward William Dufour to the Colorado Avalanche for prospect Calum Ritchie, defenceman Oliver Kylington, a first-round pick in either 2026 or 2027, and a conditional 2028 third-round pick, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) on X
Hearing the NYI and Colorado Avalanche working on a Brock Nelson deal.
Avalanche still playing tonight
Nelson, 33, is been a very reliable two-way centre that has 60-70 point offensive upside while also acting as one of the league's best shutdown forwards on defence.
The Minnesota native has played 13 seasons in the NHL, in which he recorded 574 points in 901 games played. Nelson is a nine-time 20-goal scorer and has reached 59 or more points in each of the past three seasons and is on pace to do it again this season.
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He is more well-known for his world-class two-way play that has earned him a spot on Team USA on seven separate occasions, including the Four Nations Face-Off this past February. Nelson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming off-season and carries a $6 million cap hit.
The move firmly moves the Avalanche into the driver seat for a playoff spot in the West and should apply pressure to teams like the Flames, Canucks, Blues and Utah HC to push for the potential last playoff spot.
Colorado's price tag has risen as they are listed with +700 odds to win the Stanley Cup while the Islanders can be looked for an easy lock with the under for their regular season points at 86.5 as they look to pack it in and potentially deal more pieces besides Nelson.