Will the New York Islanders trade Brock Nelson, and who is interested?
TSN: Pierre LeBrun on the New York Islanders, who will have to decide what they are doing with center Brock Nelson, who would like to stay. What teams will be interested in Nelson if he’s made available.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
LeBrun: “Brock Nelson is a player of interest, for sure, for the New Jersey Devils. But you know …”
Jennifer Hedger: “I feel like his name is coming up for a lot of teams right now.”
LeBrun: “You know he’s, he’s the number two name on TSN trade, trade bait board, and he’s pending UFA. That situation itself with Brock Nelson has been fascinating to monitor.
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Lou Lamoriello loves Brock Nelson. You saw the emotion from Brock Nelson after the Islanders game the other night. It’s dawning on him that he might be leaving. And it’s been kind of a painstaking process, I think, to get Lou Lamoriello to want to trade Brock Nelson. Where he’s starting to understand, I think, in the last 24 hours, that he’s probably not going to be able to re-sign Brock Nelson, which is what he really wanted to do.
And once that realization is there, because I think Brock Nelson wants to go to market, then it’s, do I still trade him, or do I actually keep him? Because the Islanders woke up on Wednesday morning three points out of a playoff race. Now there’s a million teams in that Eastern race, but it’s still a consideration with Lou Lamoriello, who historically has not always traded pending UFAs even though it’s the thing to do when you’re not sitting in a playoff spot.
But the interest in Brock Nelson is through the roof because the position he plays. You mentioned the Winnipeg Jets, absolutely the number one name on their list. But the Toronto Maple Leafs have checked in a few times on Brock Nelson. Minnesota Wild, that’s the, that’s where he’s from, Brock Nelson, and I can absolutely guarantee you that on July 1st, the Minnesota Wild will be front and center for Brock Nelson. But whether or not they can trade for him in the next 48 hours, they would really have to move around some pieces, because they have no cap room. But the Colorado Avalanche have showed interest. New Jersey Devils as we, that’s how we got into this, because the Devil is trying to replace Jack Hughes.
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So, the interest for Brock Nelson is through the roof. But I can’t sit here right now and guarantee you that Lou Lamoriello will trade him. We’ll see.”
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