Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said Monday he wasn’t sure if he had another trade in him this week.
He did, and it’s a big one.
The Avs traded top prospect Calum Ritchie, a first-round pick in 2026 or 2027, a conditional third-round pick in 2028 and defenseman Oliver Kylington to the New York Islanders for center Brock Nelson and prospect William Dufour.
Nelson, 33, has 20 goals and 43 points for the Islanders this season. He’s in the final season of his contract and was considered the top rental center on the trade market.
The Avs owe a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in the deal for Sean Walker before the deadline a year ago. If that pick is not conveyed until 2026, or Colorado’s selection is in the top 10, the Islanders will get a 2027 first. They will receive the 2028 third-round pick only if the Avs win the Stanley Cup in 2025 and Nelson plays in at least 50% of Colorado’s playoff games.
Nelson, listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, has scored at least 34 goals in each of the past three seasons. He set a career high with 75 points in 2022-23.
Ritchie was Colorado’s first-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft (No. 27 overall) and was the club’s consensus No. 1 prospect coming into this season. He played in seven games for the Avs at the beginning of this season before being returned to his junior team in the Ontario Hockey League.
More to come on this developing story.
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