Avalanche acquire Nelson, Dufour from Islanders; Ducks get Kylington
Published
The New York Islanders traded Brock Nelson and William Dufour to the Colorado Avalanche late Thursday for Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NHL Entry Draft, and a conditional third-round selection in 2028.
The Islanders sent Kylington to the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations just minutes after acquiring the defenceman,
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston notes that New York will receive the conditional 2028 third-rounder if the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup this season with Nelson appearing in at least 50 per cent of Colorado's playoff games.
Nelson, 33, has 20 goals and 43 points in 61 games with the Islanders this season.
The 6-foot-4 centre is on the final season of a six-year, $36 million contract with an annual cap hit of $6 million.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun also reports that New York is retaining 50 per cent of Nelson's salary as part of the deal.
Drafted 30th overall by the Islanders in 2010, Nelson has 295 goals and 574 points in 901 career games.
The Warroad, Minn., native represented the United States five times at the World Championship, taking home a bronze medal in 2015. He also represented his country at this season’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Nelson had been the No. 2 player on TSN's Trade Bait Board heading into Friday's 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Dufour, 23, has spent the entirety of the season with the New York's AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. In 45 games played, the Quebec City native has posted eight goals and 10 assists. He has appeared in one NHL game over the course of his career, coming with New York during the 2022-23 campaign.
Ritchie, a former first-round pick of the Avalanche in the 2023 draft, opened the season with the team and scored one goal in seven appearances before being sent back to the OHL's Oshawa Generals.
Since then, the 20-year-old forward has been red-hot with 14 goals and 53 assists across 41 games played. In 215 career contests for Oshawa, the Oakville, Ont. native is averaging more than a point-per-game with 251 points in four seasons.
He also represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, registering one goal and one assist in five games played.
Kylington, a veteran of seven NHL seasons, has scored 18 goals and 59 points through 214 games spent mostly with the Calgary Flames, who drafted the Swedish blue liner in the second round of the 2015 draft.
The 27-year-old was playing in his first season with the Avalanche, recording one goal and three assists across 13 games while missing almost three months of the year with an upper-body injury.
He returned to NHL action on Feb. 23 just after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.