Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Trade Brock Nelson? Blasphemy or just smart business?
That’s the debate raging amongst Islanders fans regarding the team’s leading goal scorer and one of the most consistent players in team history. We posted a poll Tuesday on X, and the majority of fans think GM Lou Lamoriello should be listening to offers on the 32-year-old center (turned recent winger).
The argument to trade Nelson is that with one year left on his contract, he would be the crown jewel of the trade deadline and bring back a haul that could jumpstart a much-needed retool of the roster.
Looking at what Elias Lindholm brought back from Vancouver, that would mean a young top-six player, along with multiple picks or prospects for an organization that needs youth.
On the flip side, if you trade your leading goal, scorer, you need to replace him, and if you already thought the Islanders weren’t good enough to compete with Nelson, it’s hard to believe they would be in a better position next season without a reliable 30-goal scorer. Would it free up cap space? Yes, but are the Islanders realistically going to bank on free agency to replace that type of production?
To me, trading Nelson and Nelson alone to spark a retool is too much of a half-measure. If Lamoriello were to make that unlikely move, would it not then make sense to aggressively try to move other contracts, such as Kyle Palmieri and JG Pageau, a year or so early as well?
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