Why the NY Islanders Should Offer Brock Nelson a Contract Extension

Every week that passes is another week to assess where the New York Islanders are in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and, guess, not assess what GM Lou Lamoriello will likely do at the trade deadline with pending UFA forward Brock Nelson.

We don't know whether Nelson is more likely to be kept or traded, but it's clear that for Lamoriello, this isn't a straightforward decision. While many fans see the choice as obvious to move Nelson, who would be one of the most highly coveted trade targets, Lamoriello has shown a propensity to want to keep his veteran cornerstones, even as they get older and their performance gets less predictable.

That may or may not have much to do with the team's playoff probabilities and more with how Lamoriello views the makeup of the roster and potential of the franchise over the next 2-3 seasons. While many fans see mediocrity, Lamoriello could see a team not too far away, with the ability to add pieces in free agency and through trades with an expanding salary cap in future years.

Appearing on "Morning Cuppa Hockey," beat reporter Arthur Staple of The Athletic indicated that when he calls around the league asking about what team executives have heard about Nelson's availability, the message from Lamoriello has been "I want to sign Brock Nelson, I'm not interested in what you're offering," Staple paraphrased during the interview.

If you gave Islanders' fans three choices: 1) Trade Nelson, 2) Lose Nelson for nothing, or 3) sign him to an extension before the deadline, most would agree, even those who want Option 1, that Option 3 is far better than the worst-case scenario of letting walk to Minnesota or some other team for nothing.

For that reason, in the coming month, if selling hasn't become the obvious best option for Lamoriello, he should make a contract extension offer to Nelson, and put the onus on the player to turn it down. If Nelson is willing to take a 2-3 three year extension to stay on Long Island at around his current AAV, the Islanders should find it now and not wait for the summer. If he turns down the offer, it's a signal that he intends to test the free agency market over the summer, and the risk is simply far too great for the Islanders to wait and see how that would play out.

Make the offer, find out where Nelson stands, and if you can't agree to a deal, the decision to trade him shoiuld be an obvious one, even for Lamoriello.