The Colorado Avalanche have already made the trade of the 2024-25 NHL season. They dealt Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes after contract negotiations fell apart. The return was tremendous, as Martin Necas and Jack Drury have already made positive impacts on their lineup. But they can continue to add at the upcoming NHL trade deadline. Here is the perfect trade the Avalanche can make for Islanders center Brock Nelson.
Nelson is in the final year of a $6 million contract and not having his best year. After three straight 30-goal seasons, he is on pace for 24 this year even after a hot stretch. But moving to Colorado and being a depth option could help get the pressure off and open up his scoring abilities. It is a risk the Avalanche should take considering the loss of Rantanen and incredible skill in the Western Conference.
For the Islanders, their recent seven-game winning streak should not prevent general manager Lou Lamoriello from selling. They are still out of the playoff picture despite the win streak and Nelson could walk this offseason. After John Tavares left in 2018, the Islanders cannot let another potential trade deadline chip walk away for nothing.
But Lamoriello has always been hesitant to sell and might need to be blown away to actually accept a trade. And the Avalanche already sent their first-round pick to the Flyers to get rid of Ryan Johansen's deal. That opens up a lot of creative ways to get Nelson without mortgaging their future and still keeping their cup-caliber lineup on the ice.
Even after the Rantanen trade, the Avalanche should be all-in on winning the Stanley Cup this season. Brock Nelson is the exact player they should trade for at the deadline.
The package that lands Brock Nelson with the Avalanche
Related Colorado Avalanche NewsArticle continues below
Even though the Avalanche do not have their first-round pick this year, they can still offer a package Lamoriello would take. While the Islanders would be taking a step back with this trade, they still have a core that can win in the playoffs. But they need defensemen to lock down the defensive zone and move the puck on their dreadful powerplay.
The Avalanche have two defensemen in the top five of their prospect pipeline, per The Athletic, that the Islanders should pursue. Sean Behrens is an undersized lefty playing in the American Hockey League who can move the puck. He was selected in the second round of 2021 with a pick originally owned by the Islanders. But the prize of their pipeline is Mikhail Gulyayev, a 19-year-old Russian who is their second-best prospect.
These options are better for the Islanders than a first-round pick because they are closer to debuting than a new draftee would be. Especially when you consider that the Avalanche's pick will be way out of the lottery and closer to the second round. But there are two sides to that coin, as Colorado is less likely to give up a prospect they've already selected.
The Avalanche would give up one of their defensemen because they are ready to win now. With Rantanen's contract off the books and his free agency no longer looming, they can add a d-man in free agency and clog the path for a prospect. Meanwhile, the Islanders are nearing the cap ceiling and could use cost-effective options in their NHL lineup.
In a Brock Nelson trade with the Avalanche, they would receive either prospect Sean Behrens or Mikhail Gulyayev. The Islanders would have to retain some salary in the deal, bringing the price up and making this a fair deal.
