The NY Islanders nearly traded Brock Nelson to the Winnipeg Jets

One of the most exciting pieces for the NY Islanders building towards the future is Calum Ritchie, who the organization acquired from the Colorado Avalanche along with a 2026 first-round pick for Brock Nelson.

But it appears that there was a strong possibility that Ritchie would remain with the Avalanche, and Nelson could have headed elsewhere for a postseason run.

Brock Nelson was nearly a member of the Winnipeg Jets

Marco D’Amico of RG.org reported today that the Islanders had a deal in place with the Winnipeg Jets, but Nelson declined to waive his no-trade clause to head to Manitoba.

The Jets have some high-quality prospects in Brad Lambert (30th overall in 2022), Colby Barlow (18th overall in 2023), and Brayden Yager (14th overall in 2023), but none at the level of Ritchie.

Nelson, a native of Warroad, MN, near the Canadian border, grew up closer to Winnipeg than St. Paul, where the Minnesota Wild play. Rumors swirled around the trade deadline that Minnesota was a potential landing spot for the Islanders' center, thinking he’d like to be closer to home. 

Nelson didn’t provide the impact Avs GM Chris MacFarland hoped for when he gave up the franchises top prospect plus a first-round pick, as Nelson provided 13 points (6 G, 7 A) in 18 games, and just four assists in the postseason as the Avs were eliminated in seven games of the first round against the Dallas Stars. 

It appears as if Nelson won’t be re-signing in Colorado and will hit free agency on July 1. If this is the case and Nelson wasn’t willing to waive his no-trade clause, the silence Lou Lamoriello keeps surrounding his inner workings paid off as he was able to pry Ritchie from Colorado.