The New York Islanders have re-signed Brock Nelson, but only to a one-year contract which means he will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Nelson was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on August 3rd, but will no longer require the meeting in Toronto. According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the deal will carry a $4.25MM cap hit.
The 26-year old Nelson is coming off his fourth consecutive season of at least 81 games for the Islanders, though he failed to reach 20 goals for the first time in that stretch. Finishing with 19 tallies and 35 points, Nelson saw a reduction in his playing time given the immediate impact of rookie center Mathew Barzal. Now without John Tavares in the mix the opportunity is there for Nelson to step into a more offensive role, perhaps even centering a line with the wing pair of Anders Lee and Josh Bailey. Whether that opportunity leads to a career-year for Nelson will greatly affect where he stands among unrestricted free agents next offseason, and his worth to the Islanders at the trade deadline.
Selected 30th overall back in 2010, Nelson has been a full-time player for the Islanders now for five years but hasn’t been able to really break out as a top-six center. He does have 188 points in 398 games, but has frustrated Islanders fans with inconsistent play throughout the years. Much of that likely comes from the obvious potential he has to be more than he’s shown, and this may be his last chance to do so in New York. Nelson is coming off a three-year $7.5MM contract and is looking at a substantial raise on the $2.5MM cap hit he’s carried for the past few years. That increased salary won’t take any of the pressure off his back as the Islanders look to contend in the post-Tavares world.
The Islanders were backed into a corner with Nelson if he or they didn’t want to sign a long-term deal. The arbitrator would have only been allowed to award a one-year contract, meaning Nelson could have just waited a few weeks to guarantee his free agency in 2019. Whether the team even wants to sign him long-term isn’t clear though, especially given the uncertainty on the roster right now. Though Barzal looks ready to take on superstar status in the league, the rest of the team is lagging behind and they only added depth pieces in the offseason like Leo Komarov and Valtteri Filppula. If the team struggles, Nelson would be better used as trade fodder at the deadline to help give the team even more future assets to build around.
$4.25MM doesn’t make him a bargain, but teams are always looking to add help down the middle at the trade deadline. Even if the Islanders are in the playoff hunt, new GM Lou Lamoriello may decide that cashing in on an expiring Nelson is the best option. The two sides can’t talk about an extension until January 1, 2019 at which point both will have a better idea of where his market will end up next summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Way too much money for a third liner imo. The Islanders would have been smart to offer him a 2-year deal to optimize his value and flip him at the deadline.