The New York Islanders are back from the international break with big decisions to make. They are five points back of the final playoff spot with two games in hand over the Detroit Red Wings. But they have multiple pending free agents that they could move at the March 7 trade deadline. The Islanders should trade Brock Nelson before the trade deadline.
Nelson signed a six-year contract with the Islanders after their resurgent 2018-19 season. In that time, he has scored 168 goals, an average of 28 per year, and posted three 30-goal seasons. They have gotten great value out of his $6 million payday but that deal is ending after this season. It is time to move on because of the current prospect pipeline and recent franchise history.
The Islanders have two blue-chip forwards playing NCAA this year, Danny Nelson and Cole Eiserman. Outside of that, there are not a lot of prospects to get excited about. If they could get a first-round pick or top-shelf defensive prospect by trading Nelson, it would put the franchise in a much better position. Their defensive core has been poor in recent years and Noah Dobson has been discussed in trade rumors recently.
Before that 2018-19 season, John Tavares spurned the Islanders to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is a different situation for many reasons, as Nelson has made no promises on free agency, but the team cannot put their fans through that again. If they can get value for Nelson to expedite their re-tool in the 2025 offseason.
The Islanders have other free agents, like Kyle Palmieri and Dobson, who is a restricted free agent. But Nelson would bring the best return without damaging future teams. Sending Nelson to a Western Conference contender should be a no-brainer for Lou Lamoriello at the trade deadline.
Trade options for Islanders’ center Brock Nelson
Nelson is a goal-scoring center with playoff experience who can play on the power play and penalty kill. While he was not great in the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA, he was not expected to be a star there. If that tanked his value at all, Lamoriello made a big mistake by holding onto him before the tournament.
A 4 Nations Face-Off injury to Shea Theodore has opened up cap space for the Vegas Golden Knights to operate at the trade deadline. While they have some great centers, they could use depth and a strong penalty kill for the playoffs. While the trade does not replace Theodore with a defenseman, it does help replace the depth they lost in free agency last year.
Nelson’s hometown Minnesota Wild are dealing with significant injuries to their forward core. Kirill Kaprizov was having an MVP-caliber season before two injuries derailed his year. They must take advantage of Filip Gustavsson’s excellent season by making a trade for an impactful forward. But they traded their first-round pick this year to the Columbus Blue Jackets for David Jiricek. So either their 2026 first-round pick or a defensive prospect. Zeev Buium is their top prospect and a stud defenseman but may be too rich of a price to pay.
Their division rival Dallas Stars are also looking to chase down the Winnipeg Jets down the stretch. They already added Mikael Granlund but swinging a deal with the Islanders for Nelson could help them as well. Nelson can help replace Tyler Seguin, who may be back in time for the playoffs.
If the Islanders trade Nelson within the conference, the Columbus Blue Jackets would be the best option. They are a great story and have all of the picks from the Jiricek trade.
Where is the best fit for Brock Nelson?
The best fit for Brock Nelson is the Minnesota Wild. While the Islanders won’t be able to get a 2025 first-round pick in the deal, they could pull away a defensive prospect that would help them. The Wild would get better by making this deal, could re-sign him this offseason, and sell the “hometown kid” aspect of the deal.
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