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Avalanche Likely to Lose Expensive Deadline Acquisition for Nothing

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 17, 2025 4:12 PM ET

The Colorado Avalanche paid up to land Brock Nelson at the 2025 trade deadline, but now, it appears as though he's set to walk after their quick playoff exit.

This past season was meant to be a big one for the Colorado Avalanche, and after they moved Mikko Rantanen for extra depth pieces, the expectation was that they could go on a deep Stanley Cup run.

Unfortunately for the Avalanche, they folded in round one, losing 4-2 in Game 7 against Rantanen and the Dallas Stars, and now, they've got plenty of questions to answer over the summer.

Perhaps the biggest of all is what does this team do with veteran Brock Nelson, who was acquired for a first-round pick and top prospect Cal Ritchie at the trade deadline, and now, the latest report isn't one that Avalanche fans will want to hear.

According to Adrian Dater, things aren't looking good for a reunion between the two parties, and after getting no goals and 4 assists in the seven game series with Dallas from the veteran centre, it's safe to say that the team would be pretty disappointed with his performances since being acquired.

With just under $9 million of salary cap space to work with, there's a chance that Colorado were looking to let Nelson walk anyway, especially with the solid names out there on the free agency market, but given what they gave up to land Nelson, this isn't what they would have been hoping for.

There's still time for things to change, but with very few assets to get what they want moving forward, all signs are pointing towards Nelson not coming back in free agency, and unless they can make some big additions, it may be another disappointing year upcoming for the Avalanche.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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