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The New York Icelanders exchanged Brock Nelson at the Avalanche du Colorado late Thursday evening for a first round choice in 2026 or 2027, a conditional choice of third round in 2028 Calum Ritchie, the choice of the first round of AVS in 2023 and the best prospect.
The Icelanders kept 50% of Nelson’s $ 6 million ceiling and also sent the Ahl William Dufour striker to the agreement. Defender Oliver Kylington also came to the Colorado agreement, but was immediately returned to the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations.
Nelson, who is fourth in the history of the Islanders with 901 games played and fifth with 295 goals, refused an extension of the islands on Thursday, stimulating the move. The 33 -year -old free free -free agent pending 20 goals and 23 assists this season and should be well integrated into the highly qualified Top six group in Colorado, where he can play in the center or wing.
Nelson had his eyes tearful when he was interviewed on the bench after the 3-2 victory on Tuesday on the Jets at UBS Arena when asked what the island meant for him. He may not be knowing with certainty, but it was his last match this season in the island uniform.
A first emotional star Brock Nelson discusses his @Nyislanders A great victory over the jets of the League and what is supposed to wear an island jersey of his entire career. #Isles | @Shannon_hogan pic.twitter.com/hr3dyfhyge
– Isles on msgsn (@islesmsgn) March 5, 2025
The avalanche could have an interest in extending Nelson even if it has rejected the advances of the islands. Nelson will be a hot product if he arrives at the free agency on July 1, just as he was ahead of the deadline on Friday once Lamoriello realized that Nelson was not going to stay.
The Icelanders will certainly present Nelson on a return if he heads for the free agency, but the Minnesota Wild, near the hometown of Nelson, Warroad, Minnesota, and free of their buyout commitments this summer, will also be in supply. This is a rare situation when a team goes from a player to the deadline and is able to successfully bring it back to the free agency.
For the moment, AVS can take a Stanley Cup race with Nelson and try to sell it to stay in Denver.
The Icelanders now have a pair of first rounds in 2026 or 2027, with the Pick -Protected Lottery 2026 – If the AVS are missing the playoffs next season, the Pick Flips around 2027. And Ritchie instantly becomes one of the best prospects in a very thin second pool – a center that displays large figures in Ohl Post-Draft. Ritchie scored 14 goals and 67 points in 41 games after having a taste for seven NHL games to start this season. His only goal came to Icelanders.
Kyle Palmieri is also a pending UFA for the Islanders, but there were no news on him on Thursday evening. A source of the league said that no decision had been made on the advisability of moving Palmieri, which, like Nelson, scored its 20th goal on Tuesday.
But Moving Nelson was finally obvious to Lamoriello, who hates to sell on the deadline almost as much as he hates facial hair. The director general of the Isles has held the last 20 hours before the deadline in the hope that Nelson could be convinced to stay. Now, even if it was not the first choice of Lamoriello, the overhaul of an Icelanders team which has become obsolete finally started.
Even if no other player moves, taking one of the main players in the team’s last decade is a radical change. The Icelanders are seated four points from the last Joker point in the East, in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time in four years. They will not have a return to Mat Barzal before the end of the regular season of a broken flap, if he can come back this year, so the writing was on the wall for this season before Nelson’s trade.
With a very good return to this agreement, the Icelanders can start to trace a new path before next season.
(Photo: Rich Graessle / Getty images)
