SIMMONS: Islanders’ Brock Nelson would be perfect fit for Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs need what Nelson is. Or certainly someone like him.

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Published Jan 01, 2025  •  Last updated 5 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders during the third period at UBS Arena on January 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images

I stuck out my hand to introduce myself to Brock Nelson and somehow it disappeared.

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His right hand is that mammoth. His left hand too. There is something imposing about Nelson the first time you meet him, not just the size of his mitts, the width of his shoulders, the sculpted body, and the almost pointed square jaw.

He is taller than Auston Matthews, wider than Ryan Reaves, same speed as his former teammate John Tavares, his on-ice hands more adept than that of Max Domi.

You look at Nelson up close for the very first time, on the ice and off in his season going nowhere, and you understand why it is that so many contending NHL teams are checking him out even with trade deadline more than two months away.

The Maple Leafs need what Nelson is. Or certainly someone like him. A second or third line centre in whatever playoff format for their roster they come up with. Perhaps the perfect third line centre from a lineup that should start with a healthy Matthews and Tavares down the middle. A 6-foot-4 presence up the middle, a one-team veteran of 12 NHL seasons, and that means something, a scorer of 27 post-season goals in 78 games.

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It all sounds about right to everyone but Nelson. At least that’s what he is saying right now. He knows he is in the rumours, which is almost odd considering his general manager is Lou Lamoriello, who abhors rumours. Nelson’s not asking to be traded to a contender, wanting to be traded at all.

“It’s not something I think about,” said Nelson just before New Year’s Eve at Scotiabank Arena. “I don’t put much stock into any of that stuff.”

He knows this hasn’t been the best of seasons for either him or the Islanders. The Islanders don’t look much like a playoff team. Nelson doesn’t look much like the scorer he has been in other seasons. He knows his numbers are way down, the win total is down, and his contract expires at the end of the season.

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He scored 34, 36, 37 goals the past three seasons. That’s 15 goals more than Tavares scored for the Leafs, 16 more than Mitch Marner managed over three seasons. This year, the goals aren’t going in for Nelson. He has just 10 to date. He has only 21 points.

The Leafs, and other teams, figure they could rescue Nelson for one playoff run and maybe catch lightning in a bottle.

“I don’t think about any of that,” said Nelson. “I think about what I can do, right here, to get better. i need to play better. That’s where my focus is. I want to get back on track.”

The cost of acquiring the kind of centre the Maple Leafs require will not be inexpensive. GMs around the NHL figure there are a finite number of quality players available come deadline and a rather large group of those trying to get better for the playoffs.

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I asked Lamoriello on Tuesday what his plans were for Nelson, and he looked at me and said: “You know better than to ask that question.” Sometimes you know better and you ask it anyhow, not necessarily sure what the answer will be.

The answer in this case was more stare than words. He wasn’t letting on what his plans are for Nelson, contractually beyond this season or as the deadline approached.

Another GM who isn’t looking for a centre estimated the price of acquiring a Nelson-like player to be a first round pick plus other trinkets. Those trinkets might include a young player like Nick Robertson or a young goalie like Dennis Hildeby.

The list of available centres will change as the deadline on the 8th of March approaches. The prices may also get higher depending on the number of teams attempting to pick up the same players.

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Nelson’s contract is up as are the contracts of Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev in Seattle — Gourde being a centre. It is also expected that Ryan Strome in Anaheim, Alex Wennberg in San Jose, Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost in Philadelphia will have their names bandied about in trade talk.

Gourde was a huge part of two Tampa Bay Stanley Cup wins but looks something like a diminishing asset now. Coach Craig Berube would love to a have a Gourde-type as his third line centre.

Laughton has one year left on his reasonable contract with the Flyers and his point totals match that of Nelson this season, a few points better than Gourde, and are just behind Vincent Trocheck of the collapsing Rangers. He’s not as good a player as Nelson but his value as a teammate is raved about.

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Strome plays high in the Anaheim lineup but only has 19 points. He’s from Mississauga and might welcome a chance to play at home late in his career.

The best bets for the Leafs are Nelson and Gourde, probably followed by Laughton, Wennberg or Strome. A third line in the playoffs with Nelson or Gourde centring Bobby McMann and Domi would offer something they’ve never had before.

These are enticing times for the Leafs. They need to get Matthews healthy, need to get Anthony Stolarz back, need to add some pieces to deepen out the roster. Nelson is as a good starting block as there is out there, no matter how he views what’s coming next.

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