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Islanders Star Blocked Trade to Winnipeg Jets Before Deadline as Full Details Finally Leak

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated May 28, 2025 2:02 PM ET

In a shocking twist, new information has leaked that reveals Brock Nelson blocked an initial trade to the Jets before ultimately being moved to the Avalanche.

Before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, the New York Islanders traded forward Brock Nelson and prospect William Dufour to the Colorado Avalanche.

They received a 2026 first-rounder, a 2028 conditional third-rounder (cancelled when Colorado made the playoffs), top prospect Calum Ritchie, and defenseman Oliver Kylington, who was later dealt to Anaheim for future considerations.

Nelson rejected a contract extension from the Islanders prior to being traded

Nelson, 34, had a six-year, $6 million AAV deal set to expire with a 16-team no-trade clause. The Islanders did offer a three-year extension at $7.5 million annually, which he rejected, per reports.

Sources say the Winnipeg Jets had a deal in place, but Nelson would not waive his clause. The trade would have yielded one of Brad Lambert, Colby Barlow, or Brayden Yager.

Lambert earned 35 AHL points; Barlow earned 61 OHL points, and Yager earned 82 WHL points after being acquired from Pittsburgh.

Nelson's Avalanche tenure was underwhelming: 13 points in 19 regular-season games and just four assists in a seven-game first-round playoff loss to Dallas. He won't be re-signing with the Avalanche and will hit free agency on July 1.

One of the speculated destinations is his hometown Minnesota Wild, but they never made an offer due to cap issues and Kirill Kaprizov's looming return from LTIR.

A Minnesota native, Nelson's hometown of Warroad is actually closer to Winnipeg than St. Paul. Nelson concluded the 2024-25 season with 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) in 80 games.

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

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