Longtime Islander Brock Nelson expecting weird…
COMMERCE, Colo. — Even now, eight months and a new contract into his time with the Avalanche, Brock Nelson is still processing the commerce that despatched him from Long Island to Colorado.
His first recreation against the Islanders, the franchise for which he performed over a decade before getting traded last March after declining to signal a contract extension, is “part of that process,” Nelson said after the Avalanche wrapped up their observe Saturday.
“It’s weird,” Nelson said. “It took a bit [of time], for sure. I still keep tabs on all the guys. … It’s such an adjustment to have — not that I would sleepwalk through warmups — but to know the ins and outs from everything: staff and player, personnel, team, different things, to reintegrate a bit took a little bit of time.”
Nelson, whose 901 video games and 295 targets with the Islanders each rank fifth in the franchise document books, was the subject of protracted commerce rumors main into last season’s deadline.
Lou Lamoriello, then the overall supervisor of the Islanders, was open about wanting to lengthen Nelson, but when the 2 sides failed to agree on phrases, Lamoriello pivoted and dealt Nelson to the Avalanche for a bundle highlighted by Cal Ritchie and a 2026 first-round decide.
Brock Nelson strikes the puck during the Avalanche’s Nov. 4 recreation against the Lightning. AP
Ritchie, the Avs’ top prospect at the time, might be in the lineup for the Islanders on Sunday at Ball Arena.
And Nelson, for the first time in his profession, will look to the opposing bench and see an Islanders emblem.
“At the end of the day, had a lot of good, honest conversations with Lou, and Lou was great to me throughout the whole process, through those times,” Nelson said. “It definitely wasn’t easy. You can’t look back in hindsight and worry about your time and how to change things.”
Brock Nelson is pictured during the Islanders’ March 1 recreation against the Predators. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
Nelson gave an open invitation to his previous teammates for dinner on Saturday and a quantity of them — including, but not restricted to, Casey Cizikas, Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Bo Horvat — took him up on it.
“It’ll be different playing against them,” Nelson said. “It’ll be one thing. These are the fellows, I’m acquainted with their entire routines and stuff for over a decade and they’re acquainted with mine. It’ll be weird seeing them on the other aspect.
“I prefer the way it’s set up where it’s here first before going back there [to Long Island]. I think it’ll be nice. Going back there, it’ll be a little bit different. I’m excited for the guys to come over, hang out, shoot the s–t, see each other.”
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