The New York Islanders are telling teams they want to re-sign Brock Nelson, but is Nelson going to want to re-sign with the Islanders?
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Hold Outs, Opt Ins, and Potential Trades episode, on the New York Islanders and pending UFA Brock Nelson. The Islanders are telling teams they want to re-sign Nelson, but is Nelson going to want to re-sign with the Islanders?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bukauskas: “Brock Nelson, Elliotte. So we’ll see him at Four Nations with Team USA. And he may be one of the more coveted UFA centers out there, if he does become available. But as you were saying, Saturday, the Islanders are going to try to put together a front here to get him signed.
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Friedman: “I think this is the time we’re going to find out if there’s anything to it. That, you know, there’s been a lot of talk, I wonder media day if Brock Nelson just disappears. Go into it, goes into witness protection, like Homer Simpson wearing the WPP shirt and the WPP hat and just refusing to talk to any of us.
But I do think this is the time that the Islanders are going to take their, their real run at it. Lou Lamoriello has told teams that they want to sign him. They want to sign him. It’s so hard to know the truth with him, because a) he doesn’t give it away, and b) out of respect for the people who deal with him, don’t say much.
But I did hear a couple places on Saturday that this is going to be crunch time for the Islanders to sign Nelson, and I think they want to do it. Now, Nelson is going to be 34 years old in the fall, so it’s going to be very interesting where this goes here. This is not going to be an eight-year deal, but I do think they’re going to make a legitimate, legitimate attempt to sign him.
I get differing reactions about what Nelson’s feelings, true feelings are on this, so we’ll see how it all plays out. But you know, everybody’s waiting to find out what the story is with him. He’s a hell of a player. He’s a low-maintenance guy. He’s hugely popular in that Islander room.
But I think we’ll get some clarity over the next week or so on whether or not, you know he’s, he’s going to be on the market or there’s any chance of him staying.
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David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period: As of the weekend, the Islanders hadn’t made Brock Nelson a three-year contract offer.
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