ANAHEIM, Calif. — After the trade deadline came and went quietly for the Islanders, the next crux of roster construction comes four months later when free agency begins.
That’s not only because seven players on the roster have expiring contracts, but also four who will be eligible for contract extensions on July 1st, and the biggest question mark on the list is Brock. Located in Nelson.
Nelson, 32, has spent 11 years of his career with the Islanders, and an extension would likely cement him as a lifelong Islander.
He’s a mainstay, reaching his best years as he ages, and is on track to easily surpass 30 goals for the third season in a row.
Attention has yet to turn to what his next contract will mean for the player and the team.
However, how negotiations between the two sides are handled will be an interesting question. The Islanders need to keep Nelson happy without offering inflated terms, the salary cap is set to rise by about $4.2 million this summer, and three other key factors: Noah Dobson; Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri are also eligible for extensions.
“I think we’re going to wait for that deadline to open up before we really enjoy that journey,” Nelson told the Post before recording three assists in a 7-2 win over San Jose on Thursday night. “That’s probably an area you don’t want to focus on too much during the season.”
Dobson, whose value has increased dramatically this season, was similarly focused on making the playoffs.
“We’re playing meaningful games trying to get into the playoffs,” he told the Post. “You’re focusing all your energy and time on that. Everything else is something you can look back on at the end of the season. Once you get into the season, you’re in that zone and you’re completely oblivious to outside noise.” You can see that I haven’t paid for it.”
But there’s a long way to go before the 24-year-old defenseman’s ability to spend his career in the same spot becomes a potential reality.
For Nelson, that could be as early as July 1.
“For me, it’s one day at a time. I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said when asked about spending the rest of his career on the island. “There’s a lot of hypothetical speculation. You can talk about the future, the long term, and being in the same place. You can’t really control the future. [There’s] “For me, I love New York and I think it’s great to live and raise my family on Long Island. For me, I’m happy to be here.”
