Brock Nelson has many reasons to feel sentimental now.
He played his 900th game as an islander at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, becoming the fifth player in franchise history. If he makes it on Saturday in the islanders uniform, he will pass Bobby Nystrom to the fourth in history.
And then there's the question of whether he'll reach on Saturday.
Nelson's name is one of the most heated debates in the Rumors Factory as a league barrel heading towards the trade deadline on Friday.
On all accounts, GM Lula Moriello has yet to decide whether to become a seller, but every day could be the last on the island as Nelson hasn't signed it next season.
“It's crazy to remember the early days and reach this point. Nelson said before facing the Rangers. “Lots of great people, great memories playing and growing. Lots of different things. It's crazy to fly just how fast you fly, even outside the game.”
Nelson has previously navigated these waters and heard his name on unsigned trade deadlines in both 2018 and 2019. There was no noise last year too.
But I feel that this is different.
The islanders are out of playoff locations. The core is on the last leg. The islanders seemingly want to expand Nelson, but he still refuses to lean his hands on what he wants to happen.
A few weeks ago in Montreal, he didn't give a direct answer to the question of what he wanted. Even if he didn't say it, does he know the answer?
“It all depends,” Nelson said. “I think I said it there too. Everyone wants a simple answer, and it doesn't always work that way.
“I love playing here. I love playing here. I'm still playing here. I'm just worried about making a difference in the game until someone says it to me differently. And I feel good and I know I'll have years left. I think it's easy to say you want to accomplish this. There's another aspect to that. It doesn't always work out what people want or need, or what different things. There's a lot to get into.”
That tense tongue slip of the past was as close as Nelson reached on Monday to offer something to read his taste.
He said whether it's an islander or elsewhere, he just didn't extend what it would turn out by Friday and it would be fine. All possibilities are open here.
“It might not work that way,” Nelson said. “Maybe there are a lot of different situations that can be rolled out in a contract. It could be something that isn't left. You don't have to have it by Friday. I'll see how everything works.”
For the islanders, the franchise who saw John Tavares leave the door after hanging from him in a similar situation, it would be very difficult to justify keeping Nelson if the extension is not signed.
In what appears to be a seller's market, he could be the biggest tip available for deadlines, giving islanders a real opportunity to net packages that will help them refill their relatively bare cupboards.
Before Monday's game, the island was five points from the playoff spot, close enough to stick to hope, but close enough that anyone outside the organization could recognize it as the longest shot.
Lou Lamoriello's often repeated mantra – “If you have time, use it” – play here.
Monday and Tuesday are the last two games the islanders have before the trio off, and will likely pass the deadline.
If GM wants to give his group the opportunity to prove himself at any opportunity, he will wait until Wednesday for a final decision on where to go.
But everyone knows now that Nelson Game 902 can come in different colors.
“Long Island is a special place,” Nelson said. “The historic franchise, lots of history, many great people who played here are still involved, representing blue and orange. To hit it [900]you're not really thinking about it. It appears quickly. It's pretty crazy. ”
