Avalanche Journal: Is Brock Nelson the answer at 2C? What’s plan B if he isn’t?

The Colorado Avalanche s biggest roster question for next season is who will be the next center on the depth chart after Nathan MacKinnon It s a familiar quandary The Avs have tried a lot of different players in that spot since Nazem Kadri left for Calgary after winning the Stanley Cup in They paid a metric ton in assets for the the greater part fresh addition Brock Nelson but the end of his season was a mixed bag and he s a pending unrestricted free agent What the Avs paid for Nelson would matter a lot less if the club were still playing But after an early exit giving up the top prospect who could have been the long-term answer at No center Calum Ritchie and a future first-round pick for potentially just regular-season games and seven playoff games of Nelson would sting So who are the best options to be Colorado s No center next season Let s dig in Internal options Brock Nelson Vitals -foot- pounds turns on Oct - stats goals points in games It was a weird year for Nelson He scored one power-play goal in minutes for the Islanders but three times shorthanded in minutes He had a sparse games in the Dallas series when he didn t play well and then a inadequate when he was noticeably better but the production didn t really follow Nelson just had the three best years of his career in his age- and seasons But his age- year was more in line with - So the first question Do the Avs want to bet on age- and beyond The second question How long a contract will he be looking for And the third question which might really be the first Does Nelson want to stick around It s easy to say this when you re not making the actual decision I don t want to give Brock Nelson five years ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro declared I don t Then you start looking around and you go if you don t then what are you going to do Given what we ve seen from Colorado s management is that they re not going to blow their brains out in the summer for somebody they don t prefer and they re going to start with as much around whatever the hole might be and try and fill it as they go forward To me that s the majority prudent way to go Nelson on the right contract is the Avs best option He s tight with Devon Toews MacKinnon is a fan A second line with Nelson flanked by Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin is big and skilled and could be one of the best in the league But the top of the center region is thin and the cap ceiling is going way up Minnesota is the majority obvious Nelson suitor if he makes it to July but there could be others Nelson is likely getting at least million per season Much more than that and the Avs would need to business a performer off the roster just to fill the other holes If he wants - years that could be hard for Colorado to do as well Maybe the desire to win a second title in the next - years is so great that it s worth doing a longer deal with Nelson and just worrying about what happens when he s really in decline later What the Avs could or should offer Nelson gets more complicated when we fan out and look for other options Charlie Coyle Vitals - years old - stats goals points in games If the Avs don t sign Nelson or add another center Coyle becomes the leading candidate to slot in at C at least while Colorado shops for another one between opening night and the deal deadline Coyle was an instant hit with his coach and teammates had a productive spurt near the end of the regular season and then went quiet against Dallas In my role we do a lot of Boston games Ferraro mentioned I ve watched Charlie for years and Charlie s a terrific third center He s not a No center You re asking him to do something that doesn t jive with the tools that he has to me in that spot Martin Necas Vitals - years old - stats goals points in games Necas has played various center in his career but is better on the wing Just like Mikko Rantanen was at times he could be a temporary cure while the Avs scavenge for a more permanent one Gabe Landeskog Vitals - turns in November - stats One goal four points in five playoff games It s really hard to see the Avs committing to even two-thirds of a season with Landeskog at center Just doesn t make a lot of sense given the obvious wellness concerns External UFA options Sam Bennett Panthers Vitals - turns in June - stats goals points in games Bennett produces like a solid enough No center but he s going to be paid like a top-tier option That means the Avs won t likely get anywhere near his asking price in a bidding war He s one of the top two guys in the league in the mean but also good at hockey category along with Washington s Tom Wilson There s going to be teams vying for Sam Bennett Ferraro mentioned John Tavares Maple Leafs Vitals - turns in September - stats goals points in games For the third or fourth offseason in a row change is expected to come in Toronto Would the kid with the Maple Leafs bedsheets genuinely leave home and what will the field look like I d rather bet on Nelson but the price might be better for Tavares if he reaches the industry Matt Duchene Stars Vitals - years old - stats goals points in games Could that bridge be repaired if the Stars can t sign him and Duchene reaches the UFA territory Nelson was better in that series and Duchene hasn t entirely beaten the assertions of having trouble producing in the playoffs Mikael Granlund Stars Vitals - years old - stats goals points in games Not sure he s an ideal No center on a contending band he s on the wing in Dallas but maybe putting him between Landeskog and Nichushkin would work He s not going to be cheap either Related Articles Avalanche Mailbag Was trading Mikko Rantanen a mistake by Colorado management After another Contest disappointment how close is Avalanche to returning to top of the mountain David Carle in no rush to leave DU Pioneers Specific guys in the NHL would pact with me Nathan MacKinnon Sidney Crosby back together for Canada at ice hockey worlds after years A simple yet tricky question What if Colorado had just kept Mikko Rantanen Avalanche Journal External commerce options This could be a pretty fluid group There could be guys available next month more after the season starts and then a bigger group ahead of the deadline If your question is What would the Avs contract for this guy that s a good question It s going to be hard for Colorado to beat other teams offers Nazem Kadri Flames Vitals - turns in October - stats goals points in games Avs couldn t do seven years million three years ago What about four years million now One slight concern Calgary doesn t seem like it wants to rebuild so trading the No center seems like a long shot Ryan O Reilly Predators Vitals - turns in February - stats goals points in games Oh look another ex-Avs center It was a weird year in Nashville and O Reilly is on a team-friendly contract The Predators could have moved him before the deadline but didn t seem very interested in doing so Marco Rossi Wild Vitals - turns in September - stats goals points in games There s been speculation that Rossi and the Wild might not see a long-term partnership together If Minnesota did make him available this summer there would likely be various suitors Trevor Zegras Ducks Vitals - years old - stats goals points in games Zegras had a strong finish to the season but now he has a new coach He also hasn t been playing a lot of center lately He d be a very high-risk option and the Ducks aren t likely to feel like they need to sell low either And because this is a story about the Avalanche and promising options at center Sidney Crosby Penguins Vitals - turns in August - stats goals points in games It s not going to happen and certainly not this offseason Even if MacKinnon tries to lay the groundwork in Stockholm for something in the future it s still extremely unlikely Crosby asks out of Pittsburgh Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis