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Details of Failed Brock Nelson Trade to Canadian Team Leak Publicly

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 28, 2025 6:25 PM ET

Brock Nelson was traded to the Avalanche at the deadline, but according to reports, a deal was on the table with the Winnipeg Jets before he blocked the move.

The 2025 NHL trade deadline was an absolute wild ride, and with the four teams still in the running all making moves, it shows just how important making smart moves at the deadline are.

However, there were also plenty of moves that looked good at the time but didn't end up working, with Brock Nelson's trade to the Colorado Avalanche being one of those, despite many believing that the deal could have made them a genuine Stanley Cup contender.

Now, it's been revealed that he almost landed in another situation in the Central Division, with reports from Marco D'Amico revealing that there was a deal in place to send him to the Western Conference No. 1 seed Winnipeg Jets.

Unfortunately for the Jets, Nelson used his trade protections to shut down the deal, and instead, the only moves that they would end up making is the acquisition of both Brandon Tanev and Luke Schenn.

That didn't quite help, as both teams were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in rounds one and two, so while Nelson was able to stay in America rather than moving to Canada for the remainder of the season, the result would have been the same either way.

According to D'Amico, the framework of a deal was done before it was eventually shut down, and whether or not the move from Nelson was the right one, he didn't have much success either way.

Ultimately, Nelson is likely going to free agency this summer to be courted by many teams around the league, and after shutting down a deal to go to Winnipeg, it's safe to say that the Canadian teams looking to chase Nelson may have the same luck in free agency.

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

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