The Brock Nelson era with the New York Islanders could soon be coming to an end, as the front office looks to continue its offseason work.
It comes after president and general manager Lou Lamoriello struck a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks to give the organization an extra second-round pick in the 2024 Draft. All it cost was moving back two spots in the first round and four in the second round.
With more changes expected, there are plenty of good reasons to consider trading Nelson, from creating opportunities for young players to clearing cap space.
Maximizing Trade Value
Centers today are valuable. That’s especially true if they are capable of slotting into the top six – which Nelson certainly is. The 32-year-old is coming off a 69-point 2023-24 campaign. The season before that, he posted 75 points, which was a career year.
Ideally, the Islanders should have cash ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline – but it’s hard to imagine Nelson’s trade value ever being higher than what it is now. The opportunity presents itself for Lamoriello to pick up a first-round pick, a prospect, and maybe another draft pick. All of which would fill major needs, as the Islanders arguably have the worst prospect pool in the NHL. If not, the pieces received in a potential trade could become assets used in a future deal.
Cap Space Needed
Most Islanders fans probably agree that at least some changes are needed. The only caveat is it’s tough to do that with just over $5 million in cap space, per CapFriendly. That assumes the newly-signed Maxim Tsyplakov makes the roster. To improve the team going forward, at least one player with a sizeable cap hit needs to come off the books.
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Nelson is the most logical, as he only has one season left at $6 million. Getting rid of his contract, without retaining salary, would give the front office more than $11 million in cap space to work with and add that much-needed scoring winger.
Easiest to Move Over Other Veterans
Some would argue other inferior productive veterans such as Jean-Gabriel Pageau or Anders Lee should be moved before Nelson. The problem is they will be tougher to trade because of the lack of production. Both players combined for just 70 points in 2023-24.
While moving them isn’t impossible, Lee counts $7 million against the cap, while Pageau’s charge is $5 million. Salary likely needs to be retained on either. That probably won’t be the case with Nelson.
Making Room for Top Prospects
Now, look, the Islanders aren’t exactly steaming with prospects. However, there is one that has the potential to be an impact top-six player in the NHL. That’s Ruslan Iskhakov, who plays the same position as Nelson does.
The Russian center has posted 101 points in 138 American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Bridgeport Islanders. It’s not only about production, as Iskhakov’s elite hands can make plays and score highlight real goals.
The only issue is rumors have been swirling about Iskhakov returning closer to home to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). And you could see why; the organization has done very little to make room for an NHL opportunity. So far with the Islanders, Iskhakov has only appeared in one regular season and a playoff game apiece. In the post-season match against the Carolina Hurricanes that went to two overtimes, the 23-year-old only played five minutes and 58 seconds. That’s not exactly a vote of confidence for him.
However, no official decision has been made yet by Iskhakov on whether to return home or not. Trading Nelson and/or another center could sway the restricted free agent’s decision to stay with the Islanders and compete for a roster spot in training camp. Signing veterans to long-term deals is something the organization needs to be mindful of when trying to develop prospects in the future.
Regardless, at least one NHLer on the Islanders is likely to be traded. Nelson appears to make the most sense for a variety of reasons.
