DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche shored up their depth at center Wednesday by bringing back Brock Nelson on a three-year deal.
It is worth $22.5 million, a person with knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not announced.
The extension keeps Nelson, 33, with the Avalanche through the 2027-28 NHL season at an annual salary cap hit of $7.5 million. Colorado picked up Nelson in a trade with the New York Islanders on March 6.
Nelson played in 19 games with Colorado to finish up the regular season with six goals and seven assists, and had four assists in the team's first-round playoff exit against Dallas.
“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 statement. “We think he’s a great fit and is 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 has 587 career points (301 goals, 286 assists) spanning 920 regular-season games since being selected by the Islanders in the first round of the 2010 NHL draft. He played at North Dakota before joining the Islanders.
Nathan MacKinnon is Colorado's top-line center and turned in a regular season in which he finished second in the league with 116 points. Nelson occupies the second-line center spot and Charlie Coyle anchors the third line.
Nelson has proven durable, playing in 246 straight regular-season games.
“Having spent my entire career with one organization, we weren’t totally sure what to expect when we arrived in Denver,” said Nelson, who was acquired as part of a deal that sent Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NHL draft and a conditional third-round pick in 2028 to the Islanders. “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.”
Nelson's salary topping $7 million could help set the bar for other pending free agent forwards like Toronto's John Tavares and Dallas' Matt Duchene.
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Edmonton, Alberta, contributed to this report.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Pat Graham, The Associated Press
