Islanders Lock Up Brock Nelson

Isles sign pending UFA Brock Nelson to a 6 year, $36M, $6M AAV contract per Arthur Staple. Nelson has flourished under Barry Trotz, and despite the criticism, he gets from some, the Isles feel they know what they have in Nelson. They wouldn't necessarily "know" what some of the other UFA's truly bring who will become available on July 1st. That's a good value for New York IMO. And it's still all about culture.

Nelson clearly made the most out of his last-minute deal last summer and showed what he could do as a significant player in the Islanders forward core without missing a game in the 2018-19 campaign. As a big part of the team heading into next season, Nelson will be expected to carry more of the load and hopefully, improve and become an even more consistent player for the Isles up-front on a more evolved and experienced Isles squad.

The 27-year-old Nelson had a career-high 53 points (25 & 28) last season. He was a playmaker, scored big goals, and looked much more comfortable in the Isles new system. Nelson helped New York finish 2nd in the Metro and fourth in the East to finish with 103 points, 48-27-7 record, and a +32-goal differential. The Islanders advanced to the 2nd round and were swept by Carolina after sweeping the Penguins in round 1. Brock Nelson finished with four goals in eight playoff games.

Nelson was the Islanders 1st round selection (30th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Per NHL.com, "Nelson played all 82 regular-season games for the second consecutive season and third time in his NHL career … (Nelson) has 241 points (124 goals, 117 assists) in 480 NHL games, all with the Islanders. He also has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 26 playoff games.” Tony Stabile says, "The 3 players with the closest match to the Nelson contract are Mikael Backlund, Adam Henrique and Kyle Turris. I'd take Nelson over all 3 of them." I agree. Your thoughts?

Brock Nelson told Brian Compton, “You could wait it out, but this is the only place I’ve ever been. It’s a great place to live, especially now with kids. We love it here and were very happy to be here another six years.”

@NHLRumorsDaily says the "Isles are currently working on a very similar deal with Captain Anders Lee in the $40-42 million dollar range." @CapFriendly says, "The Isles now have a projected $29M in cap space with a current roster of 17 (9F 7D 1G)."

It's on Isles fans.