New York Islanders: 10 Step Plan To Fix The Franchise

Step 6: Sign and Then Trade Brock Nelson

I for one am sick and tired of the Brock Nelson shenanigans. He is arguably the most frustrating player on the Islanders. He has a decent wrist shot but brings little else of value to the plate for this team.

I don’t think he’s a part of the future of this team so I’m doing a sign and trade. I think a four-year $16 million ($4 million AAV) contract is a fair and moveable contract for Brock Nelson.

On draft day I’m making this move to try to sure up the Islanders defensive core:

The Islanders are giving up one of their first rounders they have this year, a defensive prospect in Sebastian Aho (Yes, the Hurricanes will have two Sebastian Aho’s) and Brock Nelson.

The Hurricanes haven’t made the playoffs since 2008-2009. I don’t know many teams who haven’t made the playoffs in a decade turn down having an additional first round pick. The Hurricanes also receive a defensive prospect in Sebastian Aho who has turned a lot of heads. He’s seen limited action in the NHL but is an interesting project going forward.

Lastly, there’s Brock Nelson. Islanders fans know the drill at this point with. His act has gone on long enough. Nelson really seems like a guy who can benefit from a change of scenery and Carolina could use the depth scoring.

Jeff Skinner, Justin Williams and Lee Stempniak are UFA’s after next year so Brock would provide a long-term depth scoring role at a much more friendly cap number.

Now let’s look at what the Islanders get in return. The Islanders get a top-four defenseman, with a right-handed shot, who is signed at $4.83 million for two years. At 25 years old, Justin Faulk is right in his prime years.

With 27 points so far this year it’s safe to assume he’ll eclipse the 30 point mark which would be the fifth year in a row he’s done that. For you Corsi lovers out there He’s got a 55.3 CF% and hasn’t had lower than a 50 CF% in five years.

The Islanders desperately need better defensemen, especially if Calvin de Haan leaves in free agency. Justin Faulk would be the perfect fit.