Three-Time New York Islanders 30-Goal Scorer to Be Traded: Two Frontrunners Emerge
The New York Islanders have a desirable trade chip in Brock Nelson, and with the team struggling, Lou Lamoriello may pull the trigger on a deal.
Per Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston, the tides are turning on Long Island, and three-time 30-goal scorer Brock Nelson is likely going to be available.
The cost to acquire him won't be cheap, but he provides something few other players on the trade market can; elite scoring, veteran presence, and powerful play.
With this in mind, two teams have been linked by the insiders; central division rivals Dallas and Minnesota:
The Stars will have ample cap room to add closer to the trade deadline once they put Tyler Seguin and his $9.85 million cap hit on long-term injured reserve.
They haven't yet; he's still on IR and counting against their live cap. But that will change when they need it. And while the Stars have plenty of depth up front, general manager Jim Nill has never been shy about adding at the deadline when he's going for it. And this team remains very much in its go-for-it window.
The fly in the ointment when it comes to Nelson's actual availability is that Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello hasn't always seen value in moving his pending UFAs, regardless of where his team is in the standings. But I believe Nelson intends to test free agency on July 1, so one would think that will influence Lamoriello's decision, depending on where the Isles are in the standings.
Nelson to the Stars. I like it. I like it a lot.
Tyler Seguin's $9.85 million salary can be placed on LTIR, which will make a move for Nelson relatively easy.
Seguin's line with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment was among the best in the NHL until Seguin's injury, and Nelson can provide some of the similar characteristics that made that line so magical.
Once Seguin returns (likely for the playoffs), Nelson will move down in the lineup, providing luxury scoring in the bottom-six.
In his role as general manager of Team USA, Wild GM Bill Guerin has already put Nelson on the roster for February's 4 Nations Face-Off. So you can be sure he'd love to bring the Minnesotan home with him to bolster the Wild's playoff push when that tournament ends.
Nelson would be an ideal fit for a team looking to parlay a better-than-expected start into a long spring. He's a big, powerful north-south skater who can slot in as a second-line center or play on the wing.
He's a trusted veteran with 78 games of playoff experience already under his belt. And he's a pending unrestricted free agent who may consider sticking around his home state rather than testing the open market.
Acquiring Nelson would require some serious salary-cap gymnastics now that the Wild are operating in long-term injured reserve, but what's that old saying? Where there's a will, there's a way.
It's no secret that Bill Guerin is a fan of Nelson, and if the Minnesota Wild are eyeing a forward addition, he could very plausibly be the one.
No matter what, Brock Nelson will likely be in different threads soon, as he intends to test free agency if there is no trade out of long island.
| POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 27 | 132 ANSWERS Three-Time New York Islanders 30-Goal Scorer to Be Traded: Two Frontrunners Emerge Do you want your team to acquire Brock Nelson? | ||
| Yes | 70 | 53 % |
| No | 62 | 47 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Christian Dvorak | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Adam Fox | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Matej Blumel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mavrik Bourque | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Will Cuylle | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marco Kasper | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Chris Kreider | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexis Lafrenière | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Patrik Laine | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zack Ostapchuk | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Juraj Slafkovsky | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tomas Tatar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mika Zibanejad | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Artem Zub | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mike Amadio | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 46 | 31 | 10 | 5 | 67 | |
Jets | 47 | 31 | 13 | 3 | 65 | |
Oilers | 46 | 29 | 14 | 3 | 61 | |
Golden Knights | 46 | 29 | 14 | 3 | 61 | |
Maple Leafs | 47 | 29 | 16 | 2 | 60 | |
Stars | 46 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 59 | |
Wild | 46 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 58 | |
Devils | 49 | 26 | 17 | 6 | 58 | |
Hurricanes | 46 | 27 | 16 | 3 | 57 | |
Avalanche | 47 | 28 | 18 | 1 | 57 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||