Brock Nelson signs 3-year contract extension with Avalanche
Nelson, 33, played the first 12 years of his NHL career with the New York Islanders before he was acquired by the Avalanche before last year's trade deadline. The deal sent prospect Calum Ritchie, a first-round pick in 2026 and a third-round pick in 2028 to Long Island in exchange for Nelson, who will now be in Colorado through the 2027-28 season.
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Nelson, who had been a pending unrestricted free agent, was ranked No. 1o by Chris Johnston on The Athletic's free-agent big board.
Nelson appeared in 19 regular-season games for the Avalanche following the trade, producing six goals and seven assists. He didn't record a goal in Colorado's seven playoff games against Dallas, but had four assists while playing mostly as the second-line center.
The Warroad, Minn., native is a perennial 20- to 30-goal scorer. He scored 26 times this season after three-straight 30-goal seasons with the Islanders prior to that, and has reached the 20-goal threshold in nine of his 11 full NHL seasons. He has made one All-Star Game appearance in his career, in 2023, and also played for Team USA in this year's 4 Nations Face-off.
'He's been a great center in this league for a long time, and he brings professionalism and a dedicated work ethic on and off the ice,' Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a news release. 'We think he will be a great fit and will be a stabilizing presence to our second-line center role with his size and ability to touch all areas of the ice. We're excited to see what his contributions will be over a larger sample size with the Avalanche.'
Nelson strengthens Colorado's center depth behind superstar Nathan MacKinnon. He also played on the second power-play unit for most of his brief time with the Avalanche this season. His $7.5 million cap hit makes him the second-highest-paid forward on the team, and the. third-highest-paid player behind MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
'My family and I are excited to be staying in Colorado,' Nelson said in the release. 'Having spent my entire career with one organization, we weren't totally sure what to expect when we arrived in Denver. But getting the opportunity to play for the Avalanche, to compete with a great group of teammates in that locker room, and in front of the tremendous fans at Ball Arena, we knew this was where we wanted to stay.
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'I'd like to thank the Kroenke family, Joe Sakic, Chris MacFarland, Jared Bednar and our coaching staff for the opportunity. Obviously the way the season ended last year was disappointing, but I can't wait to get back on the ice soon and continue to push for our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.'
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