The Detroit Red Wings could be an intriguing landing spot for free agent Brock Nelson.
It's no secret that Detroit has needed a second-line center for quite some time. Nelson is on the older side (33), but he's an excellent 2C and has a two-way game, which would be a nice addition in Hockeytown.
Given that he is on the back nine of his career, the Wings could be able to snag him with a cheap deal. Furthermore, he's from Minnesota. If he wants to be closer to family, Michigan is a good alternative. Furthermore, it could be motivating for Nelson.
Prior to this past season, Nelson had scored at least 34 goals in three consecutive seasons and was very productive in the playoffs. He scored 26 goals between the Islanders and Avalanche this season and was largely unproductive in his time in a Colorado sweater.
In all fairness, Nelson spent his entire career with the Islanders and was traded to Colorado as essentially a rental and expected to produce immediately. There was no time to gel with his teammates.
It definitely seemed like a lose-lose situation. On top of that, the Avalanche gave up their 2026 first-round pick and top prospect, Calum Ritchie, in a move that could come back to bite them down the road. We all know how the Mikko Rantanen trade ended.
Detroit is an organization that is historically kind to veterans, unless if your name is Mike Babcock. Nelson would be a good short-term fit, but if the Wings were to sign him, they would likely have to move at least one player.
Trade Compher for picks?
Players like J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp have shown they can handle being the 2C as a stopgap, but Compher, in particular, has fallen off considerably. Let's be fair, though. He posted a career-high 52 points in the 2022-23 campaign with the Colorado Avalanche, which has had one of the league's best offenses for the past five years. He came to the Wings primarily for the money, but his stats haven't kept up. Nelson, who is clearly the better player, made less money than Compher this past season.
The Avalanche and Nelson have mutual interest in a new deal, but let's say it falls through. Detroit can potentially sign Nelson for a two-year, $3.5 million contract. The Wings have been overpaying Compher at $5.1 million per year.
A couple of options could potentially have Compher going to Canada one way or the other. Detroit could trade him to the Maple Leafs for a second-round pick. Another possibility would be to trade Compher to the Calgary Flames for a 2027 pick.
There's still Copp, who could fill in the 3C role and help the likes of Nate Danielson and Amadeus Lombardi settle in on the team. And, of course, if you add Nelson, that's just another veteran who could play a huge role in solidifying the team's future depth.
Other potential moves
In a previous story, we mentioned how Detroit had the cap space to get a little aggressive in the offseason. We talked about Aaron Ekblad and Vladisav Gavrikov. In retrospect, Nelson and Ekblad both are great defensively. Of course, Nelson would be an offensive boost, and he'd have Patrick Kane as a wingman. In the future, though, we'd love to see Detroit promote from within.
For instance, moving Austin Watson up to the third line and calling up Tim Gettinger from Grand Rapids to play on the fourth line. In addition, the Maple Leafs are likely going to lose Mitch Marner. We could snag another draft pick in exchange for Vladimir Tarasenko because that contract is an unnecessary cap hit at this point.
This would create a good mix of young players, rising players, and some sauce, the veteran presence, to top off the recipe.
