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New York Islanders Brock Nelson Is More Valuable Than You Think

By Frank Molinari
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 18: Brock Nelson #29 of the New York Islanders hits the ice during the second period against the Boston Bruins at the Barclays Center on January 18, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 18: Brock Nelson #29 of the New York Islanders hits the ice during the second period against the Boston Bruins at the Barclays Center on January 18, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Brock Nelson might get a lot of shade thrown at him from the fan base, but he’s more valuable to the New York Islanders than you think.

Brock Nelson is a valuable player for the New York Islanders. Many Islanders fans can’t stand Nelson, I can only see why he should stay.

Brock Nelson gives the Islanders decent production. Last season, he had 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points across a full 82 games. Like it or not, Nelson is very important to the Islanders.

Nelson has hit the 20-goal mark for three of the last four seasons and was just shy of making it four for four. That is decent secondary scoring from a player

who only averages 15:17 TOI for his career

. Nelson is also vital for the Islanders second power-play unit.

Not Flying Under The Radar

Nelson had four goals and totaled for eight points on the power-play. I actually find it strange that Nelson gets a lot of criticism from Islanders fans and Andrew Ladd tends to fly below the radar. Ladd, who made about $3 million more than Nelson, only had 12 goals and 29 points last year.

Not only is Nelson a decent secondary scorer, but he is healthy. Over the past four seasons, Nelson has only missed two games. If you ask me, Nelson has given a lot to the Islanders.

Nelson is a valuable player to the Islanders. He is set up to potentially be the team’s 2nd line center if Lou Lamoriello doesn’t make any deals. Nelson is definitely not a player to awe at but not a player to be disgusted by either.

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Nelson quietly stands at 6’3″ and 212 lbs, and he uses his big frame well. Nelson definitely isn’t the solution to all the Islanders problems, but he definitely isn’t a setback either. As much as Nelson is a poor man’s Anders Lee, he is worth more than you might think.

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