The New York Islanders began to sell just 15 hours before the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET Friday, sending long-time center Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche for prospect Calum Ritchie and two draft picks.
His departure after 12 years and 901 games with the club signals that this season’s playoff push is effectively over. Nelson was the team’s leading scorer in each of the last three seasons and was tied for second this season with 20 tallies in 61 games, sapping what little firepower up front the team already had.
In theory, this should be just the beginning for an Islanders team that is facing its largest transformation in the better part of a decade. Nelson was one of the foundational members of New York’s core — a roster that still featured 14 players from its last Stanley Cup semifinal appearance in 2021.
While general manager Lou Lamoriello did what he could to stay loyal to that group, a championship window has been firmly shut for four years. With it came no road map to return to contention.
A team that has historically struggled to land big-name free agents also had no semblance of self-sustainability. The prospect pool was remarkably thin and Lamoriello had used just one first-round draft pick in the last five years.
The dealing of Nelson, regardless of how painful it might be to some Islanders fans, was a necessary step to rectify that situation and change the direction of the franchise.
The haul they got from Colorado bodes well for other potential deals that could be coming down the pike. This is, after all, a seller’s market and the Islanders have a number of veteran forwards that contending teams would love to add.
Kyle Palmieri had a 30-goal last season and already has 20 this year — a remarkable boost for a veteran who had scored 10, 15, and 16 goals from 2020 to 2023. He is on an expiring contract.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is one of the more well-regarded two-way centers in the league, offering savvy in the face-off circle and the penalty-kill to bolster an inquiring club’s middle six. He is signed through the 2025-26 season, which would potentially increase New York’s return.
Captain Anders Lee’s value will likely never be higher. The 34-year-old is on pace to score 30 goals in a season for the first time since 2017-18.
Veteran defenseman and midseason pickups Adam Boqvist and Tony DeAngelo could potentially net the Islanders lower-round draft picks as well.
An aggressive sell policy would make the end of the 2024-25 season a snoozer, certainly, but positives that come out of it could at least provide a easily-recognizable path back toward building an formidable team — not one that has to scramble in the second half to sneak into the playoffs, only to be shown the door in the first round.
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