Brock Nelson sheds some light on where his mind's at in the midst of a contract year.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson will be one of the most sought-after players at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.

The 33-year-old has been a member of the Islanders for his entire 12-year NHL career. 

But with the franchise needing to get younger and faster, with no NHL-ready prospects, the Islanders would be foolish not to listen to every call that comes their way for No. 29.

After The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun hinted that Nelson was planning on testing free agency this summer, The Hockey News sat down with the Minnesota native to discuss his future with the Islanders.

"I'm just trying to play. I feel there's always, probably, different things being said, with a lot of GMs at home with a lot of mock trades," Nelson told THN. "But, for me, I'm just playing and trying to maximize myself here and to help the team.

"[The trade conversations] are something that is out of my control. You can't really put too much stock and effort into thinking about that, other wise you are just wasting energy. I'm just trying to worry about my game."

Have there been talks with general manager Lou Lamoriello on a contract extension?

"I've talked to Lou [Lamoriello] a little bit," Nelson told THN. "But, as far as that, I think we're just playing and worrying about where we are right now. We're trying to get the team in a better spot, myself playing better and that's the main thing.

"Anything else after that is action that we haven't really done too much on."

Is not discussing his future mid-season better for Nelson?

"If I were to be having conversations, it's something that you compartmentalize and just come out here and play and not worry about it," Nelson said. "And if you don't, I think it's the same thing. I think you're just worried about playing and working on your game, being better, and helping the team win. And obviously, that's a thing that will come after, so they're obviously directly correlated, but you can still kind of separate them."

Nelson was by far one of the Islanders' strongest players out of the gate this season but has cooled off. He's without a goal over his last 13 games. 

"I got to be better," Nelson said. "The future is a different aspect on the business side of it that you don't think too much about."

This is not the first season where Nelson's been a pending UFA. 

After Barry Trotz's first season on Long Island, the then 26-year-old agreed to his one-year qualifying offer. 

"My first year with Barry was a little bit different, but a similar setup where we had a coaching change where I signed a one-year deal and was a pending UFA," Nelson said. "It was a different time and a different scenario."

At that point in Nelson's career, he was still trying to find his way in the NHL. He could score, reaching the 20-goal mark in three of the four previous seasons. 

But Trotz knew Nelson could be more than an average NHL goal scorer, getting him to believe more in himself, as he set a new career-high with 53 points (25 goals, 28 assists). 

After the season ended, Nelson chose not to test free agency, inking a six-year deal worth $6 million annually. 

"At the end of the day, I'm just trying to worry about playing and enjoying the time here with the guys and coming and working here," Nelson said. "I think the rest will take care of itself. You don't really think about it too much until things happen, but something you just kind of put off."

The takeaway from this chat is that Nelson has not agreed to a contract extension yet. It appears that the Islanders want to see where they're at before committing to Nelson and vice versa.