The Colorado Avalanche traded for Brock Nelson, hoping that he was the answer to the second center problems.

Nelson showed what a valuable asset he could be during the Four Nations Faceoff in February. In his seventh career representation of the United States, Nelson proved his selection over players like Cole Caufield. The Warroad, Minnesota native, is excellent on the penalty kill compared to the young spark plug. During the four game tournament, Nelson would put nothing into the back of the net.

The Trade

The cost was a steep one for the Avalanche as they made a deal before the trade deadline with the New York Islanders. Colorado would have to give up their prized prospect, Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick. William Dufour and Nelson came to Colorado on the deal. Dufour only saw ice time with the Colorado Eagles after the trade.

Management hoped that Nelson was going to spark the offense, and he did. It just took some time. After playing for the same team for almost 13 years, it took some time to adjust to a new system. In just 19 games played for the Avalanche, Nelson tallied six goals and seven assists. This was after he had put up 43 points in 61 games with the Islanders before the deadline. During the seven-game series against the Dallas Stars, Nelson only produced four assists.

The North Dakota alum will be a free agent on July 1 this summer. In order to make the cost of the trade worth it, the Avalanche will have to re-sign him. Otherwise, the haunting question of who their second-line center will be will remain for Colorado. This has been the problem for the last three years. Just like Charlie Coyle, a training camp with the team would do Nelson some good and time to adjust to the Avalanche.