Ex-Islander Brock Nelson at peace with move to Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson looks on during the second period of an NHL game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 31 in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/Lucas Peltier
DENVER
Brock Nelson admits that in many ways, he’s still processing not being an Islander.
A big part of that process will come on Sunday night at Ball Arena when he faces his former team for the first time. A bigger, likely more cathartic moment will come when the Avalanche visit UBS Arena on Dec. 4.
“I’m excited to see the guys,” Nelson said after the NHL-leading Avalanche (12-1-5), who have won five straight and are 6-0-2 at home, skated on Saturday at their suburban practice facility. “There’s a lot of guys I haven’t seen since the trade happened. So it will be nice to hang out [Saturday].’’
Nelson, dealt to the Avalanche on March 6 after former president/general manager Lou Lamoriello could not get him to agree to a contract extension before the trade deadline, hosted many of his former teammates for a Saturday night dinner at his new home.
“It’ll be different playing against them,” Nelson said. “It will be weird seeing them on the other side. I prefer the way it’s set up where it’s here first and I see them before going back there. I think going back there will be a little bit different.”
Nelson, who signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal with the Avalanche that is believed to be the same as Lamoriello offered him, played 901 games as an Islander, the fifth most in team history. His 295 goals are fifth on the franchise list and his 574 points are eighth.
“He was such an integral part of this organization for so long,” said longtime teammate Casey Cizikas, whose Islanders are 4-0-0 on their seven-game road trip. “It’s going to be weird playing him. But it should be fun.”
Nelson had 20 goals and 23 assists in 61 games last season when he was traded, but the 34-year-old’s production has slowed with the Avalanche. He has 10 goals and 10 assists in 37 total games for his new team, including four goals and three assists in 18 games this season.
Nelson has never second-guessed his decision.
“I mean, you could talk through a number of different scenarios, and that’s probably the hard part,” he said. “One of the hard parts, too, during last year was the speculation going on. A lot of rumors going on that weren’t true.
“At the end of the day, I had a lot of good, honest conversations with Lou and I loved my time with Lou and Lou was great to me throughout the whole process, which I’d never been through before. It definitely wasn’t easy.
“You can’t look back in hindsight and worry too much about changing things. I’m grateful for the opportunity we had on Long Island and the time we had. Now I’m just worried about being here.”
Nelson said former Islander Zach Parise, who ended his career with the Avalanche, helped Nelson with his decision to stay in Colorado.
“It’s weird because it kind of feels like it still just happened,” said Anders Lee, like Cizikas a dinner guest at the Nelsons. “But he’s settled in over there. We’ve also started our journey here. It feels like it’s not as surreal anymore.”
It’s an ongoing process for both Nelson and his former team.
Makar impressed with Schaefer
No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer often is compared to the Avalanche’s Cale Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman. Both are elite skaters and playmakers who can take over a game.
Schaefer has listed Makar as one of the players he tried to model his game after, and Jets coach Scott Arniel made the comparison when his team beat the Islanders, 5-2, at UBS Arena on Oct. 13, Schaefer’s third NHL game.
Sunday marks the first time Schaefer and Makar will meet on the ice.
“I’ve seen some of his games,” Makar said after the Avalanche practiced on Saturday. “He started the year really stellar. It’s exciting to see. It seems like he’s definitely uplifting and driving their team.”
While Makar joined the Avalanche after two seasons of NCAA hockey with Massachusetts-Amherst, Schaefer jumped from Canadian junior hockey to the NHL. Either way, it’s rare for young defensemen to make the immediate impact that Schaefer is doing now at 18 and Makar did at 20.
Makar won the Calder Trophy in 2020 as the NHL’s top rookie. Schaefer already is the youngest player in NHL history to open his career with a six-game point streak, score a winning goal and score in overtime, which he did in the Islanders’ 3-2 win in Utah on Friday night.
“Yeah, it’s really hard regardless of who you are and what team you’re on,” Makar said. “It’s pretty spectacular what he’s been able to do so far, and I know he’s just going to continue to get more confidence and get better and better.”
Makar is a lock for Team Canada for February’s Winter Olympics in Italy. Schaefer could be playing himself into consideration to be Makar’s teammate.
Said Makar, “Honestly, maybe this year even.”
Roster move
The Islanders returned defenseman Travis Mitchell to their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport on Saturday after he was a healthy scratch the previous two games. It likely indicates that Scott Mayfield is ready to rejoin the team after missing two games for family reasons.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
