Heading into the 2025-26 NHL season, the Colorado Avalanche finally have something that they haven’t had since the 2021-22 season: a true second-line center that's under contract for the next couple of seasons.
Since the departure of Nazem Kadri after winning the Stanley Cup to go and sign with the Calgary Flames in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, the Avalanche have struggled to find the right replacement that can fill in that 2C hole the Kadri left, and have been pretty unsuccessful.
They thought Alex Newhook could have taken that next step with increased playing time and a bigger role attached, but it didn’t work out as well as many hoped. Fourteen goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 82 games isn’t bad, but he was moved around a lot and was clear that they needed something more, especially with a faceoff percentage just over 40%.
J.T. Compher was also slotted in at times as the 2C, and it worked well at times, but he worked his best on the wing. Finishing with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points and nodding some Selke Trophy votes, but again, he wasn't a “true” center, just someone they slotted in to play the position.
Enter the 2023-24 season, J.T. Compher leaves in free agency to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, and Newhook is traded to the Montreal Canadiens, leaving an even bigger hole in the 2C spot. Ross Colton was acquired in the offseason, leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning in hopes to fill that position, and did well his first season, finishing with 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points, but again, was moved up and down a lot, still struggling to find the right piece that can stick on that second line.
This brings in the NHL 2024 Trade Deadline and the Avalanche acquiring Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Bowen Byram. Finally, someone who has shown a lot of promise in a struggling Sabres team is ready to make that next step on a contending team. He showed signs when he first came over, finishing with four goals and six assists for 10 points, but it was about a good offseason and ready for the next season to show off what he can do.
Which, as we now know, wasn't much. Finishing with 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 63 games, once again bouncing up and down the lineup. It was at this point that many thought this 2C would just be a carousel of players signing or being traded to try to fill that spot, and either leaving in free agency or being traded out if they underperformed.
It wasn’t until the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline that a new chapter would be written into the books for the search for a 2C. Enter Brock Nelson, from the New York Islanders, a proven performer in both the regular season and postseason, big, physical, and heavy shot, who does come with some downsides, but the offense can outshine the flaws.
It cost a good bit to acquire him, but he was the best they had since Kadri, and while he struggled a bit in his short span, finishing the season with six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 19 games. There was a glimpse of what he really could bring next season.
He was a pending unrestricted free agent, so many held their breath over whether he would be extended and what the cost could look like. He was extended to a three-year $22.5 million contract, a cap hit of $7.5 million per season. While it might be a higher AAV that many would like for a 33-year-old center, the Avalanche are in win-now mode. Signing Nelson is the best for this team to compete, and it ensures they don't lose everything they gave up for 19 regular-season games and seven playoff games.
The line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nelson, and Valeri Nichushkin in the playoffs was one of, if not the best, lines they had all series against the Dallas Stars. This move not only locks their top-six but allows them to work on the bottom-six in any trades or signings as the cap continues to increase drastically in the coming seasons, and focus on other pending contracts, like Cale Makar’s awaiting extension.
It's going to be a big season for Nelson, a shortened season and now a whole summer, training camp, and preseason to get further acclimated with this team and his linemates. Could he still be a 30-35 goal guy that we saw with the Islanders just a few seasons ago? He could. The supporting cast around him helps supply all the tools he needs to find spots on the ice to shoot, it's up to him to continue to be aggressive and use his teammates skills to the best of his abilities to help put the puck in the net and win hockey games, not just for this season but for the the next two following.
