Source: Avs F Nelson signs $22.5M extension
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Ryan S. Clark
Wednesday witnessed the Colorado Avalanche answer their biggest offseason question by re-signing center Brock Nelson to a three-year contract, with a source telling ESPN the deal is worth $7.5 million annually.
Nelson’s future had been in question ever since he arrived in a March 9 trade from the New York Islanders. Although he filled the Avalanche’s second-line center void in the interim, Nelson was a pending unrestricted free agent who was expected to be one of the most coveted players in free agency on July 1.
Instead, the 33-year-old Nelson, who had six goals and 13 points in 19 games, will remain with an Avalanche franchise that will seek to win its second Stanley Cup since 2022.
“We’re thrilled to have reached an agreement with Brock to keep him in Colorado for the next three seasons,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “He’s been a great center in this league for a long time, and he brings professionalism and a dedicated work ethic on and off the ice. We think he’s a great fit and is a stabilizing presence to our second-line center role with his size and ability to touch all areas of the ice.”
Getting a new deal done with Nelson is the latest entry in what’s become a near-annual challenge for the Avalanche when it comes to solidifying a second-line center. Nazem Kadri, who was part of their title-winning team, left in free agency to sign with the Calgary Flames. That turned into the Avs going through a revolving door of second-line centers that saw several players attempt to fill that void with the front office making a trade to get All-Star Ryan Johansen prior to the 2023-24 season.
Johansen struggled in Denver, which led to the team trading him ahead of the deadline and acquiring Casey Mittlestadt from the Buffalo Sabres. Mittlestadt scored four goals and 10 points in 18 regular-season games before finishing with nine points in 11 playoff games. He signed a three-year deal last June worth $5.575 million to give the Avs a then-25-year-old second-line center for now and the future.
Mittelstadt would struggle during his first full season in Colorado, which saw him fall further down the depth chart. It prompted the Avs to make a trade for Nelson before eventually moving Mittlestadt in a trade with the Boston Bruins that saw them get Charlie Coyle.
Enter Nelson. A nine-time 20-goal scorer, Nelson was one of the most consistent players the Islanders cultivated with a farm system that has produced several players, including Avs defenseman Devon Toews, who arrived in a 2020 trade and would form one of the league’s strongest defensive tandems with 2020 Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar.
Having Nelson also gives the Avalanche what might be one of the strongest top-nine center setups in the NHL, led by reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon on the top line while Coyle operates at third-line center.
PuckPedia projects that the Avalanche will now have $1.2 million left in free agency to address their roster concerns.
Like many of their peers in a championship window, the Avs have most of their core signed to long-term deals. Nelson now one of eight players who have three or more years remaining on their current contracts.
The Avalanche have a six-player UFA class that’s led by forward Jonathan Drouin and defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Drouin, who had signed consecutive one-year deals with the Avalanche starting in 2023, scored 11 goals and 37 points in 43 games. A year earlier, he scored 19 goals and finished with a career-high 56 points.
As for Lindgren, he was also a trade deadline addition in a deal the Avs made with the New York Rangers. Lindgren had three points in 18 games while logging 18:59 in ice time per game with the Avs in a top-four role that also provided them with another penalty killer.
It’s possible that the Avalanche could use trades to create more cap flexibility while playing in a Central Division that saw five teams make the postseason with a sixth, the Utah Hockey Club, finished seven points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs righty Jameson Taillon was placed on the injured list on Friday with a right calf strain, the team announced before its game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s expected to miss “more than a month,” according to manager Craig Counsell.
Taillon, 33, injured his calf on his last wind sprint after a bullpen session on Thursday.
“He’s going to miss a pretty significant amount of time,” Counsell said.
Taillon was 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 17 starts for the Cubs this season who just got lefty Shota Imanaga back from a hamstring injury. Now they’ll have to navigate at least the rest of this month without one of their other key starters.
“There’s a little room for us to be flexible right now,” Counsell said citing the upcoming All-Star break. “We’ll use that to our advantage and we’ll go from there.”
The team recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks to take Taillon’s spot on the roster, though he won’t go directly into the rotation. Instead, the Cubs will throw a bullpen game on Saturday against the Cardinals and “go from there,” according to Counsell.
Wicks, 25, went 1-3 with one save, a 4.06 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 12 appearances (11 starts) with Triple-A Iowa this season. In his past five starts dating to May 18, he posted a 1.65 ERA with 20 strikeouts, compared to just three walks, a 0.86 WHIP and a .186 opponent batting average.
The team might also consider a bigger role for righty Chris Flexen who has been fantastic for them out of the bullpen. Flexen, 31, has a 0.62 ERA in 16 games, including a four inning stint late last month.
“He’s a candidate to be stretched out for sure,” Counsell said. “He’s prepared to do a little bit more.”
Cubs brass have already stated they are looking for starting pitching before the trade deadline later this month. Counsell was asked if Taillon’s injury increases that need. He didn’t take the bait.
“The trade deadline isn’t until July 31,” he said. “I’m focused on the next week or 10 games before the All-Star break.”
ATLANTA — Jordan Westburg didn’t have to be fully recovered from a finger injury to move back into Baltimore’s lineup and make an immediate impact.
Westburg had three hits, including a homer, in the Orioles‘ 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
The Orioles received another boost as Tyler O’Neill came off the injured list with a single and a walk.
“I think they gave us two of the three runs,” said Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino, referring to O’Neill scoring on Cedric Mullins‘ two-run homer off Spencer Strider.
“Those are two really good players,” Mansolino said. “We’re still short. We’re still missing Adley [Rutschman], but a lot of credit to the guys. They went out there and put up three runs against probably one of the great pitchers in the game.”
Rutschman, Baltimore’s primary catcher, has been out since June 20 with an oblique strain.
Westburg has tried to play through his sprained left index finger. He left a game at the New York Yankees on June 21 before returning four days later against Texas and then having to leave a game after aggravating the injury on June 27.
“Is he 100%? Probably not,” Mansolino said before the game. “But I think he’s probably close.”
Close was good enough. When asked how he feels after his three-hit game, Westburg said, “Pretty good.”
“I’m willing to play through whatever I have,” Westburg said. “It just was at a point where I wasn’t able to swing a bat. As soon as I’m able and can, I want to be on the field as much as they’ll let me.”
O’Neill was the Orioles’ designated hitter in his return from a left shoulder impingement. He was placed on the injured list for the second time this year on May 16 after missing time earlier in the season with neck inflammation.
The contributions from Westburg and O’Neill, who combined to reach base five times, helped support Charlie Morton, who allowed six hits and two runs in 5⅓ innings in his return to Atlanta, where he pitched the past four seasons. Morton also began his career with the Braves.
Morton (5-7) improved to 5-0 in 10 appearances, including seven starts, since May 10.
“I spent basically half my career here,” Morton said. “Being drafted here, I spent seven years in the system, went to the big leagues, made my debut, got to play for Bobby Cox, got to play with some of the pillars of this organization and … come back and win a World Series here. Yeah, it’s a special place for me.”
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