Just before the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday March 7, at 3pm EST, Colorado made a move securing one of the biggest names on the trade market that will instantly bolster the top six forward group while they continue to hold their playoff position in the standings. Brock Nelson has been having another stellar season on long island playing for the New York Islanders, notching 20 goals and 43 points in 61 games ahead of the trade deadline. Nelson has been an Islander since the beginning of his career, and has consistently been a 40-50 point player but showed much improvement over the last two years scoring 75 and 69 points in 2023 and 2024 respectfully. Along with Brock Nelson, fellow forward William Dufour will also be headed to Colorado as a part of the trade. In exchange, New York will receive centerman Calum Ritchie, defenseman Oliver Kylington, a 2026 first round pick, and a conditional 2028 third round pick.

One of Colorado’s main issues to fix heading into the deadline to improve the roster was definitely finding more depth up the middle. Before the deal was done, the Avs had Casey Middelstadt as their second line center, and while he is a solid option his best seasons have not been recent ever since coming to Colorado two years ago. Nelson is by far the more versatile player and a much better fit as a top six forward, slotting into that second line center role playing alongside Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathon Drouin.

The Avalanche currently hold the first wildcard spot for the playoffs in the west, and adding Nelson to their lineup brings the depth scoring and a much needed piece the team has been looking for to keep a hold of their spot in the playoffs and potentially go on a run to end the year and give themselves a better seed in the postseason.