Brock Nelson traded to Avalanche, Islanders get a 1st, top prospect Calum Ritchie

4 days ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey  /  Read Time: 2 minutes 7 seconds

My congregants, my parishioners, there comes a time when a shepherd must move on to tend to a new flock. I trust you understand. | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images


William Dufour also exits in the deal. The New York Islanders moved their top deadline prize, longtime center Brock Nelson, in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche that netted them a conditional first-round pick, top Avlanche forward prospect Calum Ritchie, and a conditional 2028 third-round pick.
Islanders prospect William Dufour also went to Colorado in the deal; UFA defenseman Oliver Kylington came the other way, but the Isles — who suddenly have more healthy defensemen than they can handle — flipped him to Anaheim for future considerations.
The Islanders also retained 50% of Nelson’s salary/cap hit.
What the Islanders Got
If Nelson wasn’t re-signing with the Islanders, and that appeared to be the outcome all along despite Lou Lamoriello reportedly offering extensions through Wednesday, then this was a good haul for the Islanders. They had the top prize of the deadline and they got a 1st and a top prospect in return.
The first-round pick is for either 2026 (top 10-protected) or 2027, so a reward deferred, but a potentially good one as the Avalanche core ages, Plus, they got Colorado’s top prospect, a center who is one of the best in the OHL and profiles as a successor to Nelson. The third-round pick is a bonus, and the exit of Dufour, a 2020 5th-round pick who shined late in his QMJHL career but has stalled at AHL Bridgeport, is of minor importance to the big picture.
Ritchie was Colorado’s first-round pick (27th overall) in 2023, and he made a seven-game NHL debut with them this season before returning to the OHL. He could be in the Isles lineup as soon as next season. Or they could subject him to whatever the hell they’re doing in Bridgeport first.
Ritchie was born in 2005, or five years before Nelson was drafted with the last pick in the first round.
What the Avalanche Got
Brock Nelson is that rare forward who has improved with age, steadily working on his game and refining his offensive tools. It’s hard to believe now that at one point it wasn’t clear whether he’d ever be an NHL center or would just be a tweener wing. Certainly the arrival of Barry Trotz in 2018 helped unlock some of his potential, but Nelson also annually worked on his shot and offensive moves to turn himself into a consistent threat.
The Avalanche thought they’d solved their 2C hole last year with the deadline acquisition of Casey Mittelstadt, but he has not measured up this year. Nelson, fresh off a fourth-line role at the 4 Nations and one last first-star turn with the Isles, now fills that role in Colorado after 901 regular season games on Long Island.
He was a homegrown prospect, who worked his way up through Bridgeport and got his NHL debut in the 2013 playoffs, even though all-important playoff games don’t count toward NHL games played milestones.
He was a stoic, beloved Islander who will presumably seek greener or maybe home-adjacent pastures this summer.
At age 33 (34 in the first month of next season), his next UFA contract may not age well depending on its term, but he should help the Avalanche this spring and the Islanders will have a tough time replacing him.
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