Russell’s Roundup: Islanders Trade Nelson; Deadline Day

The New York Islanders made their decision last night. After public attempts to re-sign Brock Nelson failed, the team sent him to the Colorado Avalanche for a lauded haul. The main piece is Calum Ritchie, a 2023 first-rounder who is a blue-chip prospect by all accounts. They also landed a conditional first-round pick for 2026, and if the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup, the Islanders will receive a 2028 third-round pick.

The news broke at 11:58 p.m. on the East Coast, so if you’re a normal person, you likely were asleep and missed the deal. It’s done and a career Islander is a career Islander no more. Elsewhere, Mikko Rantanen is headed to the Dallas Stars while trades all over the league began to pick up ahead of today’s 3 p.m. Eastern deadline.

New York Islanders:

First, around 9:30 p.m., Arthur Staple reported the Islanders would be trading Nelson. All attempts to re-sign Nelson failed, and Team President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello decided to move on from him. In the first story of the late night, I highlighted some of the best moments of Nelson’s Islander Career.

Roughly two and a half hours later, the Islanders announcement came down. The Islanders traded Nelson to the Avalanche for a package including Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a conditional 2026 first-round pick, and a conditional 2028 third-round pick. Here’s the instant analysis

Finally, we broke down some evaluations of Calum Ritchie, the blue-chip prospect acquired. The Athletic ranks him as the #21 prospect in all of the drafted players in hockey, just behind fellow prospect Cole Eiserman at #18. Here’s the full scoop on Ritchie.

Colorado Hockey Now: Meanwhile, the Avalanche were playing a game in Denver. Nobody cared about their 7-3 win by the time the horn sounded, despite Cale Makar’s six points. Here’s the scoop on the Colorado reaction to acquiring Nelson.

NHL Trades, Rumors, & National Hockey Now:

DEVELOPING: As I sit and write this at 1:40 a.m. after the trade excitement, Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Mikko Rantanen is headed to the Dallas Stars. Let’s see where it goes.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The day started off with a trade that saw the New Jersey Devils acquiring veteran defender Brian Dumoulin for a second-round pick and Herman Traff, a prospect. The return is steep, but Dumoulin’s two cups prove his worth.

San Jose Hockey Now: Meanwhile, in San Jose, while the Sharks lost to the Avalanche, they made a move. Ahead of puck drop, reports surfaced that Jake Salman would be heading to the Edmonton Oilers for a first-round pick. That trade has yet to be finalized despite being widely reported. Sheng Peng has the intel.

Detroit Hockey Now: As for the wild card-chasing Detroit Red Wings, they lost Christian Fischer on waivers. Perhaps a trade or two awaits the Wings, but don’t hold your breath on a blockbuster.

Vegas Hockey Now: Another sign of the seller’s market came when the Golden Knights re-acquired Reilly Smith from the New York Rangers and coughed up a third-round pick and an ex-first-rounder, Brendan Brisson. Here’s Hannah with the excitement in Vegas.

Forever Blueshirts: The Rangers immediately took that gained draft pick and cashed it in for a defenseman who couldn’t even crack the Vancouver Canucks lineup. Carson Soucy is a Ranger.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: One of the most intriguing parts of this deadline to me is what the Pittsburgh Penguins do with Rickard Rakell. He can fetch a haul similar to that of Brock Nelson’s, if not more. Here’s Dan Kingerski’s predictions.