Avalanche trade to finally solve second-line center with a star

Mar 6, 2025, 10:06 PM | Updated: 10:44 pm

Denver Sports Analyst

The Colorado Avalanche are making one more major move ahead of Friday’s NHL Trade Deadlines, dealing for New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson.

Nelson is a center who was a 2023 All-Star and has played for Team USA internationally, including at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Avs will hope the 33-year-old solves Colorado’s longtime hole of a second-line center that was only ever filled briefly by Nazem Kadri.

To get Nelson and forward William Dufour from the Islanders, the Avs are sending out defenseman Oliver Kylington, forward Calum Ritchie, a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.

Nelson has tallied 43 points (20g/23a) over 61 games with the Islanders this season, sharing the club lead in assists and points, ranking tied for second in goals as well as pacing the team outright with six game-winning tallies. Nelson recently suited up in his 900th career game on March 3. He entered Saturday operating at a career-high 52.8% in the face-off dot.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound center is in his 12th NHL season and has tallied 574 points in 901 career regular-season games—all on Long Island. He’s also scored 50 points across 78 playoff games, where he’s pushed as far as the conference finals.

A native of Warroad, Minn., Nelson’s 227 consecutive games played enters tonight in a tie for the NHL’s 25th-longest active Iron Man streak.

Dufour, 23, has played in 45 games this season in the AHL, appearing in one game in the NHL in his career. He was named Memorial Cup Most Valuable Player after leading the showcase with eight points for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Avs sent out some big-time pieces to New York in the deal. Ritchie is almost by consensus the team’s top prospect. The Avalanche’s first-round pick (No. 27) has been a force for the Oshawa Generals. He played seven NHL games, where he scored one goal early this season when Colorado was dealing with some major injuries. The first-round pick is obviously a big price to pay. Kylington signed as a free agent with Colorado late in the offseason and has played in 13 games for the Avs this season. Kylington was quickly sent to Anaheim by New York for future considerations.

Nelson is a free agent this summer, and the Islanders are paying half of his contract for the final stretch of the season. The trade was spurred by him rejecting a contract extension offer earlier in the day on Thursday. Nelson ranked No. 2 on The Athletic’s most recent NHL trade board, just behind Mikko Rantanen, who may be moved again ahead of Friday evening.

Besides moving Mikko, which got the Avs Martin Necas, the Avs have also rebuilt their goalie group in-season—trading for both Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood. Colorado also picked up defenseman Ryan Lindgren last week.

Nelson will likely center a line with Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin for the Avs, sliding Casey Mittelstadt down to the third line after he failed to solve the Avs issue despite them trading Bo Byram to pick him up last year. That’s a strong line to play behind Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon and Necas, who have already flashed together.