The Colorado Avalanche have solidified their depth at center, agreeing to a three-year contract extension with forward Brock Nelson.
The deal is valued at a total of $22.5 million.
This extension secures the 33-year-old Nelson with the Avalanche through the 2027-28 NHL season. His contract carries an annual salary cap hit of $7.5 million. Nelson was acquired by Colorado from the New York Islanders in a trade earlier on March 6th.
Since joining the Avalanche, Nelson played in 19 regular-season games, contributing six goals and seven assists. In the team`s first-round playoff series against Dallas, he registered four assists.
Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland commented on the signing, stating that Nelson has been a great center in the league for a long time and brings professionalism and a dedicated work ethic. MacFarland highlighted Nelson`s fit as a stabilizing presence for the second-line center role due to his size and ability to impact all areas of the ice, expressing excitement for his contributions over a larger sample size.
Over his extensive NHL career, Nelson has accumulated 587 points, scoring 301 goals and adding 286 assists, across 920 regular-season games. He was originally a first-round selection by the Islanders in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Nelson is expected to continue centering the Avalanche`s second line, playing behind top forward Nathan MacKinnon.
Demonstrating significant durability, Nelson has played in 246 consecutive regular-season games.
Nelson expressed his enthusiasm about remaining in Colorado, stating, “Having spent my entire career with one organization, we weren’t totally sure what to expect when we arrived in Denver. 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 new contract, with its annual value exceeding $7 million, could potentially help set a benchmark for other pending unrestricted free agent forwards around the league.
Duncan Priestley