The Colorado Avalanche made a series of bold moves last season. The club overhauled its goalie tandem in-season. That move alone would have been enough to sing GM Chris MacFarland’s praises this year.
While the Ryan Lindgren and Charlie Coyle trades (more on that another time) were largely a wash, it was the Brock Nelson trade that continues to pay dividends for Colorado.
On March 6, 2025, the Avalanche sent top prospect Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, and a first-round pick to the New York Islanders for Brock Nelson and William Dufour. The main piece in the trade was Nelson, of course.
The Islanders were willing to part with Nelson, as it didn’t look like he was going to sign an extension with them. So, then-GM Lou Lamoriello made a savvy move by getting three pieces he could have used to help rebuild his team.
As for the Avalanche, Nelson was meant to be the second-line center the club hadn’t had since Nazem Kadri skipped town. Last season, the jury was still out on Nelson, as he hadn’t really gotten into a groove. He wasn’t a major factor in the postseason, leading to even more questions when the Avs signed him to a three-year, $22.5 million contract extension over the summer.
Flash-forward to this season, and Nelson has 14 goals and 25 points in 35 games. He got off to a bit of a slow start, but has come on strong in the last dozen games or so. The move had paid off for the Avalanche and will hopefully continue to do so.
If Colorado can win the Stanley Cup this season, the deal will be seen as one of the shrewdest moves by the Avalanche brain trust.
What about the other players in the Avalanche-Islanders deal?
The biggest piece heading to Long Island was Ritchie. Ritchie was the Avalanche’s top prospect at the time. He’s still very much a highly touted young player despite having just four goals in 26 games this season for the Islanders.
Nevertheless, Ritchie has earned himself a regular lineup spot this season. He’s part of a young core in New York headlined by defensive phenom Matthew Schaefer. While Ritchie isn’t lighting things up like Schaefer, the former Avalanche first-rounder could become a solid top-six NHL center.
The other piece in the deal, Oliver Kylington, ended up on waivers and claimed by the Anaheim Ducks.
The remaining loose end on the deal is the 2026 first-round pick. As it stands, the pick is set to be the 32nd overall selection. At that point, it’s pretty much a second-round pick. If the Avalanche make the Western Conference Final, it will be at least the 29th pick. Not bad, but hardly a franchise-altering pick.
The other piece the Avalanche got from the Islanders was William Dufour. Dufour was a fringe prospect but showed some promise. He would have been a depth guy with plenty of grit. However, the Avalanche declined to extend him a qualifying offer this past summer. He didn’t get other NHL offers. So, he opted to sign in the KHL.
While we can’t rule out that Dufour will never play for the Avalanche, it’s unlikely the 23-year-old former fifth-round pick from the 2020 NHL Draft will see NHL ice.