Chris MacFarland is going all-in.
Late Thursday night while his team was still in action, the Avalanche announced they had acquired center Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders, as well as wing prospect William Dufour. The price was steep.
To acquire Nelson, the Avalanche had to give up their top prospect, 20-year-old forward Calum Ritchie. The Avalanche also sent a first-round pick in 2026, a conditional third-round pick in 2028 and defenseman Oliver Kylington to the Islanders.
Colorado superstar forward Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t mind his GM going all-in and giving up prospects and players that might help years down the line. In fact, he loves it.
“(We) have to,” MacKinnon said after Thursday’s 7-3 win over the Sharks. “This is our year. It’s up to us, but there’s no other way. We’re not in rebuild mode … yet.”
MacKinnon called Nelson an “amazing player” and said the two share the same strength coach, so he’s familiar with the person as well.
There are some conditions on the first-round pick the Avalanche gave up. If the 2026 draft pick is transferred to Philadelphia subject to terms of a previous trade, or it is not transferred and is in the top 10 of the 2026 draft, then Colorado will send its 2027 first-round pick to New York. Colorado’s conditional 2028 third-round pick will be met should the Avalanche win the 2025 Stanley Cup and Nelson plays in at least 50% of the team’s playoff games.
Ritchie was Colorado’s first-round pick in 2023 and started the season with the Avalanche. He’s having another dynamite season in the OHL with 67 points in 41 games, but MacFarland is clearly going for it this year while his best players are in their prime.
Nelson, 33, was the one clear upgrade at second-line center on the trade market. He has 43 points in 61 games this season and recorded 30 goals each of the past three seasons. Nelson is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season so it’s possible he’s purely a rental while the Avalanche take a run at another Stanley Cup.
His new coach Jared Bednar can’t wait to add the 6-foot-4 center to his lineup.
“It’s a huge add. Huge add,” Bednar said. “Looking at how hard it is come playoff time and you’re adding a player of Brock’s caliber. Center position, big, long, strong, can skate, highly productive, getting better with age. He’s always been a trusted 200-foot player and if you look at his history, he’s scoring 30-plus goals most years, too.”
“To get a player of that caliber is hard to do, and yeah, I think it’s an amazing add for our team.”
Dufour, 23, is a former fifth-round pick who has 18 points in 45 AHL games this season.
Nelson is expected to fly to Denver on Friday and join the team. Barring a surprise, he should make his Avalanche debut on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Avalanche 7, Sharks 3
What happened:Â The Avalanche lit up their old goaltender Alexandar Georgiev by scoring five goals in the first 31 minutes.
What went right:Â Colorado’s top players went off, with Cale Makar picking up his first career six-point game, which also was the franchise’s first six-point game by a defenseman. Nathan MacKinnon picked up five points and is just three points away from 1,000 career points.
What went wrong:Â Despite scoring seven goals, it was a sloppy game with the Avalanche taking five penalties. They were able to cancel out some of that with a shorthanded goal but also managed to give up two power-play goals.
Avalanche goal scorers:Â Kiviranta (12), Makar (23,2 4), Drouin (8), Necas (21), MacKinnon (24, 25)
Sharks goal scorers:Â Zetterlund (17), Celebrini (20), Eklund (14)
Between the pipes:Â Mackenzie Blackwood beat his second former team on this homestand, stopping 31 of 34 shots.
What’s next:Â The Avalanche will host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at 5 p.m.